Lord of the Werewolves
by Matt Quinn
Summary: Lupin and Tonks follow a different, darker path than canon. DH-compliant until the Weasley wedding, then goes AU.
1. Been Alone Long Enough

**Been Alone Long Enough**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **This is the beginning of a Lupin/Tonks AU that will follow canon until Bill and Fleur's wedding. Much of this chapter is adapted from "The Phoenix Lament" in _Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince_. The concept of werewolves dying from their transformations came from Clell65619's story "Harry Potter and the Marriage Contracts." Also, since the site's notification system went through a screwy period awhile ago, it might be prudent to check for updates once a week to be safe.

June 28th, 1997 AD

7 PM

"Dumbledore would have been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world," Professor Minerva McGonagall said curtly.

_I suppose he would_, Remus Lupin thought, _if that were the entire issue. But it's much more than that._

He opened his mouth to reply, but the hospital doors banged open.

"I've…I've done it, Professor," Rubeus Hagrid choked. "M-moved him. Professor Sprout's got the kids back in bed. Professor Flitwick's lyin' down, but he says he'll be all righ' in a jiffy, an' Professor Slughorn says the Minstry's bin informed."

"Thank you, Hagrid," McGonagall said.

She turned to the group gathered around Bill Weasley's bed.

"I shall have to see the Ministry when they get here. Hagrid, please tell the Heads of Houses — Slughorn can represent Slytherin — that I want to see them in my office forewith. I would like you to join us too."

Hagrid nodded and shuffled out of the room. McGonagall turned to Harry Potter.

"Before I meet them I would like a quick word with you, Harry. If you'll come with me…"

Harry left with her. A moment passed.

"Remus…" Tonks began.

Lupin turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

_I can't even continue this conversation. If I do, I might give in._

He already had come perilously close to doing so, Tonks' poor timing notwithstanding. How convincing could any denial be when he was staring at the floor?

He made his way down the corridor and was about to turn when he heard someone behind him.

"Remus," Tonks said. "Remus, I'm sorry, bringing that up now was foolish. But…"

_Bloody hell, she's chasing me._

Lupin quickly turned, so quickly Tonks jumped back, eyes wide.

_Damn and blast. You frightened her._

"Tonks," he began. "You say you love me, you want to date me. Do you have any idea what you'd be getting yourself into?"

Not giving her a chance to respond, he went on.

"I'm already a pariah. Other than the members of the Order, most wizards can barely stand to look at me! Those who see my clothes" — he gestured at his patched robes—"and this scar" — he gestured to the claw marks on his cheek Fenrir Greyback had left long ago — "make the connection immediately! They cross the streets to avoid me!"

His voice lowered.

"If they see you with me, they'll do the same. It's already close to impossible for me to find work. If we date and if we marry — we're not students anymore, this is something to consider — you'll bear the burden of supporting us largely alone."

"And I'm dangerous, Tonks. Snape was right to expose me after I got careless with my Wolfsbane and put him, Ron, Harry, and Hermione in danger. If I make another mistake, I might kill you, kill you or worse, infect you."

He swallowed.

"And the transformations that make me so dangerous to others are also dangerous to me," he said. "I think the longest a werewolf ever lived is eighty and that's young for a wizard. One day, Tonks, my body won't be able to handle another change, and I'll die. You'll outlive me, not by just a few years like many witches do, but possibly by many decades."

He finished and looked at Tonks.

_I wonder how she'll handle this?_

Tonks' reaction surprised him.

"Remus, do you think I haven't looked into this?"

She set down her bag and fished out a book with the logo of Werewolf Support Services on it.

_Your Werewolf Spouse? This is the first time I've brought up anything hinting of marriage._

She opened the book and flipped through it.

"I've read the whole thing, after we had our first talk. I know the risks, Remus, and I don't care."

She stopped on a page, eyes hardening as she thrust the book at him.

"I'd say this book did a better job of showing me the prejudices I'd face than of outlining the risks."

Lupin took the book in his hands. Tonks had opened it to one of the early pages.

_The only way to keep yourself and your children safe from the debilitating disease of lycanthropy is to neither marry nor procreate with an infected individual in the first place. If, however, you choose to ignore all good medical and social advice and tie yourself and your future offspring with a werewolf, here is what you should do._

"Debilitating," Lupin said. "That's an understatement."

"And apparently the only way to keep myself and any future children safe from it is not to marry nor procreate with you at all," Tonks said.

She snorted.

"I _still_ don't care. Hell, Remus, if I wanted to be safe, I wouldn't have become an Auror."

_True. Aurors will be priority targets these days, now that Dumbledore is gone._

"We had our first talk on this matter last August. You were thinking about marriage then?"

She shook her head.

"It's the advice that's the big interest, right now. Of course, when we could both die tomorrow…"

Lupin repressed the urge to roll his eyes.

"First we have to date before we can marry and I'm sure you've noticed I'm not interested."

Tonks put a hand on her hip.

"Only because you think poorly of yourself. If you didn't like me too, why is it always about how you're too old for _me_, too poor for _me_, and too dangerous to _me_? I'm an Auror, Remus. I can take care of myself."

Lupin scowled.

_She's got you there._

"That may be," Lupin said. "But you're still young and for some reason infa…"

His voice trailed off.

_She's young, yes, and clearly infatuated. That being said, she's going in with open eyes. She knows all the problems she'll face and she doesn't care._

Lupin repressed the urge to sigh in exasperation. He decided on one last gamble.

"Have you ever considered Charlie Weasley? He's around your age, after all."

Tonks rolled her eyes.

"Do you think I hadn't laid some heavy hints when we were both students? He's a fine young man, bless him, but he prefers dragons to women."

_Yes. In all the years I've spent with the Weasleys, I've noticed that. The boy hasn't had a girlfriend in five years._

"All right," Lupin said. "Fine."

Tonks reached out and took his hand.

"Come on," she said. "The Weasleys might need our help with Bill."

June 30th, 1997 AD

2 PM

The aftermath of Dumbledore's death kept them busy, but he and Tonks were able to sit together at Dumbledore's funeral two days later. Tonks' hair was bright pink again.

As the seats filled in around them, Lupin looked down.

_Dumbledore is dead. Not even in the darkest days of the First War did it get this bad._

Beside him, Tonks shifted. A moment later, she slipped her hand around his and squeezed.

He looked down at their entwined hands — his rougher and scarred, hers smaller and smooth.

Lupin allowed himself to smile.

"Thanks."


	2. Surfing

**Surfing**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

July 10th, 1997 AD

11 AM

"Tonks, what is that?" Remus Lupin asked somewhat incredulously.

_It looks like a long plank, tapered off at the ends. I wonder if there is some kind of magical purpose for it?_

Nymphadora Tonks grinned.

"It's a surfboard. We're still going to the seaside, right?"

"Well, yes."

"Well, I'm sure I've mentioned surfing to you once or twice."

Lupin nodded.

"Yes, something you do at the beach. You didn't mention a board though."

"Boards. I have two."

Lupin made the connection immediately.

"Let me guess. You intend for me to go surfing with you."

Tonks nodded.

"Yep.

_This might be dicey. I haven't been swimming in the sea since I went with James, Lily, and Sirius, just before the Potters went into hiding._

He'd been the seaside since then — it was fun and it was free, most of the time — but not actually in the water.

Tonks grabbed him by the hand and pulled him through her front door.

"C'mon," she said. "I'll need to see if the wetsuit I borrowed will fit you."

_Wetsuit? Is that a suit made out of water?_

Lupin followed Tonks through her living room towards her bedroom. He waited politely by the door while she went into her rather messy closet and started rummaging.

_I hope she's not suggesting I wear her clothes to the beach. That would be altogether too much._

Tonks emerged from her closet with a rubbery garment that had sleeves and short leggings extending from the sides and bottom respectively. It also had appropriate masculine colors, unlike the pink-and-black equivalent that Tonks held in her other hand.

"I borrowed it from Charlie. Put it on and let's see if it fits."

_Are we the Weasley family project? Between Arthur and Molly encouraging us to get together and Charlie collaborating with her on this little adventure of hers, I'm starting to wonder._

Lupin took the wetsuit from Tonks and retreated into her bathroom.

_Okay. I assume I don't wear my shirt under this. Do I wear my trunks too?_

He decided to err on the side of modesty and kept his trunks on. He put the wetsuit on and quickly encountered a problem.

The wetsuit was clearly meant for someone with a different body type. Lupin could not get the suit up over his shoulders and he could tell even if he could, it would be rather baggy.

"You ready?" Tonks called from the other side of the bathroom door.

Lupin emerged. Tonks, now wearing a short cotton dress over a bathing costume, smiled at him.

"Sex-y," she said. She winked at him.

Lupin felt his cheeks redden.

"It's tailored to someone shorter and heavier," he said.

"I can fix that," Tonks said.

She waved her wand and Lupin could feel the rubbery fabric shifting around him. He pulled the wetsuit up and found it fit him perfectly.

"Looks better now," she said.

She looked at him.

"Have you eaten?"

Lupin shook his head.

"Just some kippers and tea," he said.

He'd invested the money James had loaned him before he died and he'd been using the interest to supplement the Ministry's meager dole for werewolves in the past years. Unfortunately, the death of Dumbledore had caused the wizarding markets to tank, leaving his finances even more precarious than usual.

Tonks' dark eyes widened.

"That won't do. I haven't packed our basket yet. What are you in the mood for?"

Lupin thought for a moment.

"Well, I do like roast beef," he said. "With some nice tomatoes."

Tonks grinned.

"You're lucky. I just went to the grocery."

July 10th, 1997 AD

11:20 AM

Once Tonks packed their lunch, the two of them Disapparated from her apartment.

They materialized in an isolated spot behind the International Surf Centre at Fistral Beach. Once they'd gotten their bearings, Lupin quickly looked around.

_Good. No Muggles to Obliviate._

"Been here before?" Lupin asked.

Tonks nodded.

"Dad took Mum and me here a lot," she said.

They made their way out to the beach and found a spot close to the water.

"Got your wand?" Lupin asked.

Tonks pointed to her calf.

"Disillusioned and stuck to my leg. Yours?"

"Same."

_If the Death Eaters knew what we were up to, they'd be here en masse. They'd think us vulnerable._

"Good."

Tonks smiled and pulled her dress over her head. Lupin repressed the urge to whistle at the sight of her in her bikini.

_Very nice._

"C'mon," she said. "Let's go for a swim."

Lupin pulled off his t-shirt, hoping nobody would stare at the claw-scars marking his right pectoral, and followed. She winked at him, then broke into a run.

"Catch me if you can!" she called out.

Marauder that he was, Lupin could recognize a challenge. He smiled.

_It's on._

He ran. His condition might have prematurely aged him, but he wasn't yet so broken down he could not catch up with a taunting young witch.

Tonks had gotten out to where the water was waist-deep, with Lupin close behind. She stopped and turned to laugh. Her eyes widened just before Lupin tackled her.

They tumbled. The salt water stung Lupin's eyes, but he managed to maintain his grip on the wriggling, laughing Tonks until they hit the sand. He let her go and both of them swam to the surface.

Tonks grinned when she saw him.

"Why Professor Lupin," she said. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Lupin smiled mischievously.

"Don't worry about me," he said. "I'm more energetic than I look."

He mock-lunged for Tonks again and she dodged to the side. Her grin widened.

"Now Professor, what would your students think?"

Lupin thought about Harry, who was so much like both his parents, Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

He smiled.

"They'd be cheering me on."

Tonks laughed and swam in a circle around him. As they played in the water, Lupin noticed someone staring.

_Well, I guess it's not every day people see a man who's nearly forty cavorting with a twenty-something._

He suddenly got very self-conscious.

"You hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah. I figure you are too, if you only had kippers for breakfast."

The two of them made their way to their blanket, sat down, and dug into their lunch. Owing to the fact it was a Muggle beach, they hadn't packed any exotic wizarding foods like Chocolate Frogs, instead sticking to conservative fare like sandwiches, apples, and a treacle tart for each of them.

When they were done, Lupin leaned back on his hands, feeling his food digest.

_I ordinarily don't eat that well outside of Order meetings._

Tonks lay down beside him. She adjusted the blanket beneath them and then abruptly scooted closer, laying her head on his shoulder and throwing an arm across his chest.

Lupin's eyes widened.

_Not wasting any time, is she?_

For a moment, he wondered how this might look to the Muggles — a young woman with purple hair practically on top of an older man.

He shrugged.

_I'm not objecting._

It had been a long time since he'd gotten this close to anyone and he wasn't going to pass the opportunity up because someone might stare.

Time passed. Lupin felt himself beginning to drift off.

_No. Falling asleep outdoors, even in a Muggle area, would make us vulnerable to the Death Eaters._

Tonks stirred next to him.

"Okay," she said, sitting up. "Now it's time to surf."

_I was wondering when she'd get to that._

Lupin rose up onto his elbows.

"Tonks, are you sure this is a good idea?"

She had gotten up and was already putting on her wetsuit.

Lupin repressed the urge to sigh.

_All right._

He climbed to his feet and pulled on his wetsuit. Meanwhile, Tonks had picked up the larger of the two surfboards.

"You're a beginner, you'll need this," she said.

Lupin hesitantly took the board from her. She picked up her own smaller board and headed for the water. Lupin followed.

As they walked, Lupin felt the wetsuit chafe his thighs.

_Perhaps I should have walked around more before we left. It's not like I can have Tonks resize it in the middle of a Muggle beach._

Lupin quickened his pace, catching up with Tonks.

"Are you sure I really need to wear this?" he asked.

"It's for the best. The water's cold and there might be rocks. The wetsuit will protect you from getting scratched up by rocks or the board."

"I'm going to die, aren't I?"

Tonks shook her head. "Probably not. When you fall off — "

_When?_

"You'll just hit water," she continued. "Sink down for a bit and then swim to the surface. It'd be best to keep your body limp when you fall off, though."

"Why?"

"Sharks. I think we're too far north for great whites, but one never knows," she said. "Best keep your body limp when you fall off, to avoid looking like a seal."

The way she said "great white" worried Lupin.

"What's a great white?"

"One of the biggest sharks. They hunt seals, typically, and sometimes mistake surfers for seals. There's a Muggle movie called _Jaws_ about them."

For a moment, Lupin wondered if facing off against a basilisk would be safer than surfing.

Tonks cocked her head.

"Don't worry, love. You're more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a shark and as I said, we're too far north for great whites."

Lupin swallowed.

"All right," he said before looking sternly at Tonks. "Next time we decide to have an adventure, it's my turn to decide where we go."

Tonks shrugged.

"Will do."

They waded out into the water.

"Okay," Tonks said. "Climb on the board like so."

She climbed onto the board and lay on her stomach.

"Getting up on the board, once you hit a wave, is like doing a push-up. Push up, pull a foot under you, and then push up into a standing position."

She looked behind her.

"Here comes a wave. Watch."

The wave caught Tonks' surfboard and lifted her up. She smoothly rose to her feet and rode the wave to the shore, leaving Lupin out in the water by himself.

_That doesn't look too hard._

Lupin climbed onto the surfboard.

_Okay. Do what Tonks did._

Behind him, he could see another wave building.

_When the wave comes, get up._

The wave came. Lupin pushed himself up on the board, keeping his hands locked on the sides, and worked his right leg under him. As the wave lifted him up, he rose to his feet…

He had just a moment to realize his feet were off-center before he toppled over. Down he went, the salt water stinging his eyes.

The wave carried the board to the beach. By the time Lupin returned to shore, Tonks had already retrieved it.

"You almost had it there," she said. "C'mon, let's try again."

Part of him thought this was foolish, but part of him was extremely disinclined to be bested by a board.

The two of them returned to the deeper water, climbed aboard their surfboards, and waited for a wave that could lift them both.

That wave was not long in coming.

"Ready?" Tonks asked.

"Ready," Lupin replied.

The wave caught them. Tonks smoothly rose to her feet.

Lupin pushed himself up and worked his right foot under him.

_Okay. This is where it went wrong the first time._

He looked down and made sure his right foot was on the exact midline of the board. Then, slowly, he began pushing himself up.

As he rose, he wobbled somewhat. He nearly fell again, but managed to catch himself.

"All right!" Tonks called out as the wave crested. "It looks like you've got it now!"

The two of them rode the wave to shore, Lupin slightly behind Tonks.

_Wow. This is a lot more fun than I expected._

He and Tonks surfed for the next couple of hours before deciding to call it a day. As they made their way back to the beach, a group of Muggles applauded.

"Not bad for a beginner," one of them called out.

Lupin reddened a bit, but Tonks clapped him on the back.

"You did better your first time surfing than I did mine."

_Wow._


	3. War

**War**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

July 19th, 1997 AD

8:30 PM

The Death Eaters did not permit Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks to enjoy their newfound relationship for long. The Death Eaters — it was not initially clear as to whether it was the Dark Lord or his servants — killed Auror Thomas Proudfoot soon after Lupin and Tonks' day at the beach. Other murders followed as the Death Eaters tried to capitalize on Dumbledore's death.

"The Death Eaters have gotten bolder," Kingsley Shacklebolt said as he addressed an Order of the Phoenix war party. "Three dozen witches and wizards and sixty Muggles died last week and that's not the half of it. The Death Eaters have focused on intimidating newspapers and businesses across Britain, forcing them to toe the line."

_Makes sense_, Lupin mused. The Daily Prophet's _silence on Voldemort's return kept the public in the dark, giving him a year to rebuild his army. And money is the sinews of war._

"They're demanding taxes from the businessmen and editorial control of the newspapers," Alastor Moody growled. "They're getting it. People are losing confidence in the Ministry's ability to maintain law and order and You-Know-Who's people are stepping in to provide it."

"Luckily," Shacklebolt said. "We've got spies within the Death Eaters, spies Snape didn't know about. We have word that the Death Eaters are planning to attack the offices of the _Leeds Magical Tribune_, a paper that hasn't submitted to Death Eater control. We're going to stop it."

"Any idea on enemy strength?" Tonks asked.

"At least forty Death Eaters," Lupin said. "Around three-to-one odds."

As one of the few surviving veterans of the First War and because he really did not have too much else to do, Lupin found himself among the leaders of the Order of the Phoenix.

And being a leader, he had access to information the other members of the Order did not.

_With Dumbledore dead, many have given up hope and some have even taken the Dark Mark, hoping to be on the winning side. Combine that with the liberal use of the Imperius Curse and you have a recipe for disaster._

Between the multiplying numbers of Marked Death Eaters and Moody's suspicions of Death Eater infiltration of the Ministry, Wizarding Britain was entering a dark time indeed.

_Moody's already making plans for the event of a coup. Even when the Death Eaters outnumbered us twenty to one in the First War, there was no danger of an outright takeover._

Tonks' face fell at Lupin's words.

"Not good," she said.

"We've got four Aurors," Lupin said. "Chances are a lot of them will be ordinary witches or wizards under Imperius or untrained rookies."

_One can only hope. If it turns out all of Voldemort's elite are turning out tonight, we're dead._

"It shouldn't be that hard," George Weasley said.

"Perhaps they'll get in each other's way," Fred Weasley added.

Lupin shook his head.

_They weren't at Hogwarts when the Death Eaters came. They haven't, as the Muggles put it, seen the elephant yet._

"The _Tribune_ is printed in what appears to be a closed factory on the edge of Leeds," Shacklebolt continued. "We believe the Death Eaters will approach it from the south. The party under Tonks' command is to wait atop the structure, under invisibility cloaks, while the parties under the command of Moody and Savage will be on the east and west respectively. The party under my command will attack the Death Eaters from the rear."

_Attack from every point of the compass. Good plan._

"Does everyone have their Invisibility Cloak?"

An affirmative chorus greeted him. Lupin pulled his cloak over his head, disappearing from sight.

_Not as good as James' cloak, but it works._

"All right. On the count of three, Apparate to Leeds. One, two, three!"

The Order Apparated away, ready for war.

July 19th, 1997 AD

9 PM

Lupin took his position with Savage's contingent to the east of the boxy offices of the _Tribune_. In the distance, he could hear several pops.

"Wands out," Savage hissed. "They're coming!"

Lupin drew his wand and swallowed. The Order of the Phoenix was facing large-scale battle for the first time since Dumbledore's death and the thought did not please him.

Black against black except for their white masks, the Death Eaters began emerging from the night. Apparently unaware of the Order waiting in ambush for them, they flowed like a dark river towards the _Tribune's_ offices.

Although he could not see them, Lupin felt the Order members around him tense.

_Wait for it_, he told himself. _Wait for all of them to get into the killing square._

The march of the Death Eaters continued and Lupin's heart sank at how numerous they were.

_Why so many to destroy one newspaper and kill at most two people? Do they know we plan to interfere?_

If they knew, it was Severus Snape who was probably to blame.

The last Death Eater emerged from the night. The first of them were already very close, close enough to fire on the building.

The jaws of the Order's trap closed around them.

_Incendio! Confringo! Incendio!_

Lupin unleashed a stream of curses, lighting two Death Eaters aflame and breaking one's neck. The area lit up in a roaring kaleidoscope of magic as the Order's ambush halved the Death Eaters' numbers at a stroke.

Lupin grinned.

_We might win this one yet._

Then whatever training the Death Eaters had kicked in. The Death Eaters began raising Shield Charms and forming into a square.

_Damn it. The Death Eaters in the front can protect the ones inside._

Killing Curses would penetrate the Shields, but only Moody, Shacklebolt, Tonks, and Savage were allowed to use them.

_Thank God the Ministry revived the old authorization. Otherwise it would be a complete massacre._

"Forward!" Shacklebolt roared.

Three of the four Order contingents closed in on the Death Eater formation, hammering at them with curses. Here and there the Death Eaters' Shields cracked and masked enemies fell, but the Death Eater square largely held.

Then the Death Eaters retaliated. A wave of Killing Curses tore into the advancing Order personnel. Most curses passed through empty space, but Lupin could see some jets of green light slam into invisible barriers and knew Order members were dying.

"Tonks!" Shacklebolt shouted. "Bring your people down!"

The fire from atop the Tribune building ceased. A moment later, Lupin could see attacks flying at the Death Eaters from closer in. Two Killing Curses were mixed in with the attack, drilling a hole in the Death Eater formation.

The Death Eaters returned fire. Lupin could see more and more Order members as their invisibility cloaks tore or fell free. Two Order members he did not recognize fell to the Killing Curse, while many Order members began dancing uncontrollably, colliding with other Order members and throwing their formations into disarray.

"Back!" Shacklebolt shouted, throwing himself between one disordered formation at the Death Eaters. The black-clad enemies quickly shifted their attention from attacking the Order to attacking the Auror who stood in their way.

Then the Death Eaters broke formation en masse, chasing after the retreating Order personnel like dogs after a wounded fox.

_Good_, Lupin thought grimly. _If we can form up and cut off groups of them from the main mass, we can destroy them._

He remembered the Muggle Battle of Hastings Moody had him read about, where the Norman knights lured Saxon troops away from the safety of the shield wall and slaughtered them.

"Rally!" Tonks shouted from somewhere. "Weasley, Diggle, Jones, cut them off!"

A colossal explosion erupted to Lupin's right and he saw black-clad bodies flying. Tonks was in her element, jumping, shouting, and casting. One Death Eater hurled the Killing Curse at her; she dodged and fired the same curse right back, killing him.

Lupin smiled.

_Good girl._

"Lupin!" Savage roared. "They're heading back this way!"

Lupin spotted a group of Death Eaters rushing back towards the remaining members of the Order formation. His smile took on a grim cast.

_Oh no you don't._

He weaved a pattern with his wand and the ground opened up beneath them like an enormous set of jaws. The Death Eaters fell in and Lupin waved his wand again, closing the earth over them.

_Rest in peace_, Lupin thought, his grim smile growing wider.

Tonks cried out triumphantly, bringing her foot down on a fallen Death Eater's sternum. The Death Eater cried out, voice liquid and bloody, and fell silent.

"The bitch killed Jackson!" a masked Death Eater shouted. "Get her!"

Five Death Eaters set upon her, two hurling Killing Curses. Tonks dodged the two Killing Curses, deflecting the other curses with her Shield. She replied in kind to the two would-be killers, killing one and forcing the other to the ground.

Then she tripped, lowering her Shield for just a moment. The Death Eaters unleashed a stream of curses.

Tonks turned her stumble into a roll, dodging most of the curses and deflecting the rest. Her retort caught one Death Eater in the groin and sent him flying into a nearby wall. Tonks came to her feet and hurled multiple Blasting Curses, driving the three remaining Death Eaters back.

The remaining three gave up trying to break through her Shield or hit her with the Killing Curse. Instead, they fired curses at the ground beneath Tonks' feet.

The resulting explosion lifted her up in the air and sent her flying. She landed on her back, hard, and did not move.

_Oh no!_

Lupin rushed forward, smashing down a Death Eater who got in his way, and hurled a curse at the Death Eaters who were approaching the prone Tonks. They spun, Shields up, and one of them laughed at Lupin.

"Quite a loyal dog," he growled. "Runs to its mistress."

_You talk too much. Confringo!_

Lupin's curse slammed into the Death Eater's gut and doubled him over. Lupin Petrified him.

The other two leaped forward. Bursts of silver and red light — _these Death Eaters aren't skilled enough to use the Killing Curse_ — erupted from their wands.

Lupin Shielded himself, but the sheer power of their attacks sent him stumbling backwards. The exertion of the night was beginning to get to him — pain was shooting through his shoulder.

_Damn and blast. Got to finish this quickly._

He erected a powerful Shield and weaved another pattern with his wand. The ground opened up beneath the two Death Eaters, but he only succeeded in snaring one. The other jumped away, hurling a Blasting Curse at him.

Lupin ducked, the curse passing through where he'd been, and hurled a stream of fire at the Death Eater. The terrorist managed to Shield himself, but Lupin kept it up, using his Shield to protect himself from the man's reprisal.

The Death Eater's robes ignited behind the Shield and the man turned and fled. Lupin smiled as he took the man's legs out from under him with a Blasting Curse before Petrifying him.

The immediate problem dealt with, Lupin rushed over to Tonks.

"Tonks," he said. "You all right?"

Tonks was silent.

_Not again_, he thought, recalling the battle in the Department of Mysteries.

Someone laughed and Lupin looked up. Three more Death Eaters approached.

_I don't have time for this._

Lupin hurling a Blasting Curse at the one who laughed and when the Death Eater Shielded himself, hurled another Blasting Curse at his unprotected legs. The Death Eater went down with a scream, legs bloodied from compound fractures, and Lupin cast Tarantallegra on the other, forcing him to rapidly dance away.

_One more left._

The Death Eater charged, hurling a spray of curses at both Lupin and Tonks. Lupin cast a Shield over Tonks and himself and fought back. He and the Death Eater dueled for several moments before the Death Eater hurled the Killing Curse.

The jet of green light passed through Lupin's Shield and he threw himself out of the way, leaving himself open for another attack.

The Death Eater laughed and waved his wand. The bones in Lupin's legs vanished. He fell on suddenly-boneless limbs, feeling muscles and nerves twist unnaturally. Pain erupted through the suddenly-pliable legs and Lupin gritted his teeth.

The Death Eater laughed and began making the movements for the Killing Curse.

_Not through yet. Stupefy!_

The Death Eater deflected Lupin's spell and tried to Disarm him. Lupin deflected that attack and an attack from the other remaining Death Eater, then unleashed a stream of fire from his wand that ignited the first Death Eater's robes.

The first Death Eater fled screaming, but the second one kept his cool. He stabbed with his wand. Lupin tried to deflect the curse, but he wasn't quick enough and the bolt of silver light slammed into his jaw.

The attack sent teeth and blood flying and knocked Lupin onto his back. The Death Eater stabbed with his wand, but a shimmering Shield suddenly appeared in midair, deflecting the curse. The Death Eater cried out in dismay and turned to run, only to freeze suddenly and topple over onto the ground.

Through a red haze, Lupin could see Moody standing over him.

"We're winning," the scarred Auror growled. "Don't worry."

_I'll try not to. Of course, it'll be bloody hard._

Then Moody was gone. Despite his dizziness and the constant pain in his head, Lupin looked for Tonks.

She's around here somewhere, I think.

He saw bubblegum-pink hair to his left and began dragging himself towards it. He hadn't gotten far before somewhere, someone cheered.

"Oi! They're running now!" one of the Weasley twins — Lupin could not immediately discern which — cried out.

More curses erupted.

"Don't be overconfident!" Moody shouted. "They're forming a rear-guard!"

_Damn it. This batch at least has some clue what it's doing._

Lupin looked up to see a line of Order wizards dueling against a similar line of Death Eaters. Several Death Eaters Disapparated, although Lupin saw Savage wave his wand, stopping the flight in its tracks.

Then a massive explosion erupted in the center of the Order line. Bodies flew everywhere and a gap opened up.

_Oh no._

"Fill the hole!" Moody roared, throwing himself into the breach. The Death Eaters unleashed a storm of curses on him, but he managed to deflect or dodge all of them and unleash a firestorm of his own.

Lupin allowed himself to sigh in relief.

_We'll win this one yet._

Then something slammed into the ground between himself and Tonks. Lupin pointed with his wand, ready to cast a curse, but it wasn't a Death Eater. His relief was quickly short-circuited when he found out who it was.

It was Savage and he was dead.

July 19th, 1997 AD

11:30 PM

Lupin groaned as the Skele-Gro began to take effect. Millions of metaphorical splinters dug into his rubbery legs as the bone began growing anew and he wondered if he'd be able to talk with the pain in his mouth from his regenerating teeth.

He thought back to when that fraud Gilderoy Lockhart has accidentally vanished Harry's arm.

_Harry was awake all night in the hospital wing. It looks like the same here._

He looked over to the cot next to his, where Tonks lay. She smiled at him.

_At least I'll have some company while my bones regrow._

Then he remembered that the next night would be the full moon.

_Bloody great. My brand-new bones will be broken and forced into unnatural shapes again. At least I'll have someone to be with me when I recover from that, like the times Prongs, Padfoot, and Wormtail were…_

Lupin stopped himself suddenly.

_Do you really want to expose her to that? Seeing your body tearing itself apart and putting itself back together again will horrify her. Maybe she'll leave you._

That thought stopped him short. During the months where he stubbornly resisted her, he had wondered just what he could do to convince her he was not suitable. He wondered for a moment why he'd come up with what could be a sure-fire idea just now, now that they were spending a great deal of enjoyable time together.

He shook his head.

_I've been alone most of my life anyway. Why should she spend her youth on a man who'll she'll outlive by sixty years?_

"Ouch," Tonks said suddenly. Lupin looked over.

_What the devil?_

Tonks was trying to get out of bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Got to go see Mad Eye, see how the battle went."

"We won. You don't need to risk hurting yourself further just to find out how."

She shook her head.

"This Skele-Gro hurts enough — not knowing everything that's gone on out there will make things worse."

"Your moving around right now is making things worse. You've got a bunch of broken bones that aren't fully healed yet and…"

"Remus, I'm an Auror. I've been hurt worse."

_Yes, yes she has._

He thought back to the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, how Tonks had gone toe to toe with the most dangerous Death Eater short of Voldemort himself — her own aunt, who looked an awful lot like her mother — and had been cursed and thrown down the stairs for her pains.

_This on top of all the other battles she's fought in. Despite the pink hair and the punk bands, she's an adult, a soldier. Like you._

Tonks hissed in pain, grabbing Lupin's attention. She'd managed to pull herself into a sitting position, but her face was twisted and it looked like she was preventing herself from weeping by sheer force of will.

"Lie back down," Lupin said, a bit more forcefully than usual. You're clearly hurting…"

"Remus, I'm fine. This was the worst of it. Once I can get to my feet..."

Lupin inwardly sighed.

"Tonks, I'm afraid if you put weight on whatever bones that are broken, things'll get a lot worse. Ever seen a compound fracture?"

Tonks nodded.

"Imagine a bunch of them, simultaneously. I'd feel a lot better if you just stayed in bed."

Tonks winced.

"Good point."

Tonks managed to carefully move herself back down onto her cot. She immediately exhaled.

"Thanks, Remus. That feels a lot better."

"Good. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself further. I was at my wit's end when I saw you crash-landing after that explosion and not get up."

She smiled.

"That's really sweet of you. Mad Eye told me you were right by me, holding off the Death Eaters even after they Vanished your legs. He made it sound positively horrid — they kept coming and coming and coming…"

Lupin swallowed.

_Yes, yes it was. Both of us could have died that night, and Savage ultimately_ did. _With the Death Eaters forcing more and more people into line, we might not have much time left._

The Order won the last time, but the darkness was falling when Voldemort blew himself to bits in Godric's Hollow. Dumbledore's death had robbed them of the man who could definitely defeat Voldemort in combat and terrified most of the wizarding public.

He shook his head.

"Remus," Tonks said, and there was genuine worry in her voice. "We won this time, but what about next time. More and more people are taking his Mark and others are just staying home entirely. This time next year, both of us might well be dead…"

_Yes. Perhaps…_

"We should get married," both of them said, at exactly the same time.

Lupin barely prevented his jaw from dropping.

_What the hell? Did we just say that? At the same time?_

He must've gotten hit on the head harder than he thought during the battle.

Tonks smiled.

"Great minds think alike. Of course, times being what they are, it should be quiet and we shouldn't have many guests. We don't want word getting out and attracting undue attention, especially from Auntie Bella…"

_Oh boy._


	4. Marriage

**Marriage**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

July 25th, 1997 AD

5:30 PM

Remus Lupin paced the room reserved for the groom in the small church he and Tonks were to be married in.

_Is this a good idea?_ he asked himself yet again. _I love her and I want to be with her, but the bloody timing of it all…_

He shook his head.

_What if the Ministry should fall when we're on our honeymoon, without us to help defend it? Voldemort's extending his tentacles deeper and deeper and…_

"If you keep analyzing everything, you'll go mad," Kingsley Shacklebolt said. "Don't worry. If something should happen, a Patronus won't take long to find you. You can get back here faster than the Death Eaters can get into the Ministry, I can tell you that."

"Is there something you're not telling me, Kingsley?" Lupin asked. "Are you a Legilimens?"

Shacklebolt shook his head.

"Nope. I've just fought beside you in two wars and I know what it's like for a man to be nervous before his wedding, although I'm not experienced with…"

"My furry little problem," Lupin finished.

Shacklebolt laughed and Lupin repressed a frown.

_Easy for him to laugh. His body doesn't tear itself apart once a month._

"Don't worry, Remus. The toad Umbridge can't touch the Auror office, nothing'll happen to Tonks because of you."

Lupin sighed in relief.

_Good. If we're to be married, we need an income more reliable than odd jobs and the interest off my investments._

"Look," Shacklebolt said. "If I thought this was a bad idea, I would never have agreed to be your Best Man."

_That's reassuring._

"Thank you, Kingsley," Lupin said.

Shacklebolt smiled.

"You're welcome."

He paused.

"Be right back."

Shacklebolt disappeared out the door, closing it behind him and leaving Lupin alone. He sighed.

_Look on the bright side. You'd given up all hope for romance ever and then Tonks comes crashing — metaphorically and literally — into your life. She doesn't care you're a werewolf. Be happy._

Lupin allowed himself to smile.

Then the door opened. Lupin looked up.

It wasn't Shacklebolt who came in. It was Ted Tonks.

The hairs on the back of Lupin's neck rose. The elder Tonks did not bear his usual friendly expression.

"Evening," Ted said.

"Good evening," Lupin replied.

"Remus," he said. "We need to talk."

_Oh blimey. Here comes the 'you break her heart, I'll break your neck' speech._

Given the way they ended up agreeing to marry, Lupin had not taken the customary step of asking Ted Tonks for permission first. Although Lupin had seen the elder Tonks looking at him queerly a couple of times between their visit to the Tonks' home to tell her parents the news and when everyone gathered for the wedding, they'd never had an opportunity for one-on-one conversation.

Ted looked behind him, then drew his wand and cast a charm on the door.

_What the devil? Is he trying to pick a fight? On the day of his daughter's own wedding?_

Lupin's hand dropped to his own wand.

"That's to make sure we don't get overheard," Ted said.

He locked eyes with Lupin.

"It's not that I don't like you, Remus. You're brave, loyal, kind, and clever, all the things a man could want in a son-in-law. And the fact you're a werewolf doesn't bother me much either — you're only dangerous one day a month and my daughter deals with worse things every day."

He paused for a moment and when he spoke again, there was real anger in his voice.

"I remember how Dora told me she had met a wonderful man at an Order of the Phoenix meeting and how she enjoyed spending time with you and 'Dromeda's cousin. Then I watched her spend a whole year put out over you. Now you two want to get married and you've only been actually dating less then a month?"

He shook his head.

"If it weren't for the fact there's a war on, I'd think you both mad."

"Sir," Lupin began. "I don't particularly think getting married just now is such a great idea myself, but we could both…"

"Die tomorrow? I know, there's a war on. I remember the first one, although 'Dromeda and I sat that one out…"

He paused.

"You really love her, don't you?"

Lupin searched for the right words to express his feelings.

"I don't know how to tell you…"

He began an attempt to explain, but was cut off.

"Good."

The hint of a smile crept onto the elder Tonks' face, but it disappeared just as soon as it had appeared. He fixed Remus with a serious stare.

"Here's what I came to say. Dora's still my little girl, and if you hurt her, I'll hurt you. Understood?"

Lupin quickly nodded.

_Must be diplomatic._

Shacklebolt took that moment to return from the restroom.

"Evening," he said to Ted.

Ted smiled.

"Good evening," he said.

"You ready?"

Ted nodded.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

He turned and left the room.

Shacklebolt turned to Lupin.

"Something bothering him?"

_I wonder how much I should tell him? This is a family matter now, or at least it will be in an hour._

However, a familial squabble could affect his or Tonks' efficiency in battle and Shacklebolt was the commander of the Order now. And Shacklebolt was married himself, so he might know what to do.

"I don't think he trusts me with Tonks," he said.

"He's her father and he's worried," Shacklebolt said. "He'll come around, don't worry."

_I hope so._

Shacklebolt looked at his watch.

"I think it's time to head to the sanctuary."

July 25th, 1997 AD

5:45 PM

Lupin stood at the altar, with Shacklebolt beside him and Andromeda Black Tonks near where her daughter would be when the ceremony began.

"Nervous?" the priest — the man who had married Tonks' parents in secret twenty-five years before and was used to clandestine, dangerous marriages — asked.

"Just a little," Lupin said.

"It'll pass," the priest said.

Lupin smiled.

"Thank you."

The door opened and Tonks appeared, her father beside her. Lupin's eyes widened and his heart nearly burst.

_Wow. She is beautiful._

She walked up the aisle, wearing the green dress her mother wore when she eloped with her father many years before. Surprisingly, she didn't miss a single step. She grinned as she took her place in front of Lupin.

"Wotcher, Remus," she said, her grin growing wider.

"Wotcher yourself," Lupin replied, smiling himself.

Then the priest came forward and began to speak.

"Dearly beloved," the priest began. "We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation…"

As the priest spoke, Lupin thought back to James and Lily's wedding so long ago. It had been during the first war, but things were going better and they felt comfortable having a big wedding with both of their families packing the church and a party afterward. Even Lily's sour sister Petunia had cracked a smile a couple of times…

"I will," Tonks said, bringing him back to the present. The priest turned to Lupin.

"Remus John Lupin, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I will," Lupin said.

The priest turned to the smattering of guests — Molly and Arthur Weasley, Mad-Eye Moody, Minerva McGonagall, Bill Weasley, Fleur Delacour, Pomona Sprout, Poppy Pomfrey and Charlie Weasley — in the pews.

"Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?"

"We will," they replied.

The next few minutes passed quickly as the priest led them in prayer and read passages from the Bible. He then returned his attention to Lupin and Tonks.

Lupin remembered his part and took her right hand in his.

"In the Name of God, I, Remus John Lupin, take you, Nymphadora Marie Tonks, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

He released her hand and she took his right hand.

"In the Name of God, I, Nymphadora Marie Tonks, take you, Remus John Lupin, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow."

The priest — they didn't have anyone who could serve as ringbearer on such a short notice — removed the pair of rings from his pocket and placed them on his and Tonks' left hands. He then joined their right hands.

"Now that Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder."

He then led the guests in the Lord's Prayer.

Once the prayer was done, Lupin and Tonks waved their wands and their packed bags emerged from the pews. If the Death Eaters decided to wedding crash, they would find the church empty, the newlyweds gone on their honeymoon, and the few guests dispersed.

_We should have a nice party when we get back. Preferably at the Tonks house or the Burrow._

His own home was in a neighborhood that was quite nice when he bought the house using money James had loaned him nearly twenty years ago, but the area had deteriorated as the economy changed and the more prosperous neighbors moved on. It would be best to have a wedding party at a more suitable place.

Once their bags rested at their feet, their guests swarmed around them.

"Congratulations," Arthur said, shaking Lupin's hand.

"Thank you," Lupin replied.

Beside him, Fleur and Molly were taking turn burying Tonks under an avalanche of hugs.

"Best be on your way," Moody interrupted. "We wouldn't want any uninvited guests showing up because we tarry too long."

_Good old Moody, as paranoid as ever._

Lupin and Tonks joined hands.

"Do you remember where we're going?" Lupin asked.

"Aye," Tonks said. "Newquay, near where we went surfing."

Lupin smiled.

"Ready?"

"Aye."

The two of them Disapparated.


	5. Honeymoon

**Honeymoon**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

July 27th, 1997 AD

10:30 AM

"Oi," Nymphadora Tonks said. She pointed to Shoreline Gifts, a shop across the street from them. "Care to take a look?"

Remus Lupin shrugged.

"Sure," he said.

The two of them crossed over to the shop and went inside. Lupin occupied himself with the rack of postcards, while Tonks made a beeline for a shelf containing several small model houses.

_The woman sure loves her knick-knacks._

While Tonks examined the model houses, Lupin picked out some postcards. He figured each wedding guest's thank-you note would come on a postcard — he wished he could afford some formal stationary but he didn't want to jeopardize his nest egg and a thank-you postcard was more creative anyway — and he made to get one for Harry too.

"This looks nice," Tonks said, pointing to a metallic statue of two sharks on a nearby shelf. "Where do you think we should put it?"

Lupin tilted his head.

_It has its charms, but she hasn't even moved in with me yet. We still haven't decided what stuff we're going to keep._

"I don't know," he said. "We might not have the room."

She looked at the statue.

"A fair point. We can always come back and get it later."

She ended up settling on one of the model houses. Once they paid for their purchases, they made their way down Crantock Street.

As they approached the intersection with St. John's Road, Lupin spotted an ice cream vendor setting up his cart.

"Care to have your dessert before lunch?" he asked.

"I like the sound of that."

The two of them each picked out an ice cream cone — Lupin bought a simple chocolate cone and Tonks bought something more elaborate, complete with whipped cream and peanuts.

Both of them reached for their wallets at the same time.

"I can pay," Lupin said. "It's really not that much…"

Tonks shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I can…"

The vendor rolled his eyes.

"How about I flip a coin?" he asked.

Lupin and Tonks shrugged. The vendor flipped and Tonks ended up paying for it.

They headed off down the street and it wasn't long before Tonks' clumsiness got the better of her. She tripped over a raised area of the sidewalk. Lupin moved to catch her and both of them ended up with ice cream all over themselves.

"Oh no," Tonks said. "Remus, I'm sorry, it's just…"

"You're clumsy," Lupin finished.

She sighed.

"Yep."

Lupin leaned close, maneuvering his wand between them.

"Don't worry about it."

Her eyes widened.

"Remus, the Muggles…"

Lupin leaned closer still.

"They'll just think I'm some foul cradle robber getting unduly friendly with a woman thirteen years my junior," he said with a wink, making the motions to Vanish the ice cream away. Once he finished, he put his wand away.

"See? Nobody noticed."

Tonks smiled.

"Clever move."

"Thanks."

July 27th, 1997 AD

2 PM

After the ice-cream mishap, they returned to their rented cottage for some sun and relaxation. They changed into their bathing suits, brought out some folding chairs, and sat hand-in-hand on the beach.

"These," Tonks said as she reclined in her folding chair, "have been the two most wonderful days in my life."

Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yeah," she said. "We wake up, make love, swim, take long walks, loll about in the sun, have leisurely meals, make love some more…"

_I think I know what she likes the most_, Lupin thought with a grin. _Not that I'm complaining._

"It's almost enough to make one forget there's a war on."

Lupin repressed a sigh.

_Yes. That._

"Don't forget," he reminded her. "We're moving Harry tonight."

Tonks nodded.

"Yeah. We're doing it early; Voldemort's boys shouldn't expect it. Hopefully we'll do it right under their noses."

"Hopefully," Lupin echoed.

_No battle plan survives contact with the enemy. If the Death Eaters interfere with the plan at all, things will rapidly go downhill._

"We're not leaving until later, though," Tonks said. "We can still get some relaxation in."

_Yes, yes we can._

Tonks closed her eyes and sprawled even further out in the chair. Her hand slipped from his. A mischievous thought crossed Lupin's mind.

_Heh, heh, heh. Time to let the inner Marauder out to play._

He waited for a moment until he was sure Tonks was asleep. Slowly, he rose from his chair.

"Erm," Tonks murmured.

Lupin froze.

Tonks shifted in the chair. Her eyes stayed shut.

Lupin relaxed.

_If she's even awake, she's not fully. She won't see this coming._

Lupin crept closer, a smile spreading across his face. Tonks did not respond.

His grin widened.

_Got you now!_

Lupin leaped forward, jamming his arms beneath Tonks' lower back and shoulders and lifting her out of the chair. His muscles burned at this exertion, but he did not drop her. He headed for the water.

Tonks came awake with a series of wriggles that nearly broke his grip.

"Remus, what are you…?" was all she had time to squawk before Lupin dropped her in the ocean. She flailed, trying to grab hold of him and pull him down too, but Lupin expertly stepped back.

_Mischief managed._

Tonks erupted out of the ocean, spitting out salt water.

"Remus!" she shouted. "I'll get you!"

She lunged at him, but Lupin was able to evade her. Making sure his wand was still attached to his leg, he turned and ran for the house. Tonks surged after him, but she tripped, enabling him to put more distance between them.

Lupin pulled open the door and dashed inside. He'd only gotten halfway across the kitchen before Tonks leaped onto his back. They tumbled and although Lupin tried to turn, he ended up on his stomach on the floor and Tonks was pulling his right arm behind him in a restraining hold she no doubt learned from Mad-Eye Moody.

"Say uncle!" she cried out triumphantly.

There was only one way Lupin figured he could get out of this predicament. In the two days they'd been married, he already found many of Tonks' ticklish spots.

_Just got to find one and…_

He grabbed with his free arm. Tonks yelped and her grip slackened. Lupin yanked his arm free and bucked with his body, rolling her onto the floor.

"I think the tables have turned," he said with a grin. "Do you surrender?"

Tonks grinned back.

"Not yet!"

She jumped onto him, going for _his_ ticklish spots. The ferocity of the attack knocked him over, but he scrambled back, evading her pounce. She landed on her stomach on the floor and he jammed both his hands into her armpits. She laughed and thrashed and finally managed to scramble free.

"I think I'm winning," Lupin commented wryly.

Tonks looked straight at him, dark eyes flashing.

"Oh really?"

Before Lupin could react, she jumped forward and landed on top of him, knocking him onto his back.

"I win," she said. She leaned down and kissed him.

"We'll see," Lupin replied. He kissed her back.

Their tickle-fight transitioned to something even more fun. Their kissing quickly became heated and their hands more mobile.

Lupin grinned.

"Now I know why your Mum named you Nympha—"

"Don't you start with that!" Tonks retorted. "Get the door."

"Got it," Lupin said. He waved and the door shut and locked itself.

"Thanks," Tonks hissed before kissing him again. He returned her kisses and his hands felt their way up her back, hunting for the tie of her bikini top.

Tonks' hands were not idle. One hand crawled up and down Lupin's spine; the other slid down to undo the knot at her hip and tear her bottoms off. Lupin managed to get her top off, leaving her naked above him.

"You too," she said with a wicked grin, yanking his trunks down. She was moving to straddle him when they were suddenly interrupted.

"Good afternoon," Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice said from somewhere behind them.

Tonks yelped at this expected intrusion. Lupin pulled her down on top of him to hide her nudity. A moment later, a blue-white lynx ambled into the kitchen from the bedroom.

Both of them exhaled in relief.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," the lynx continued. "I sent this Patronus to remind you that we're moving Harry from Little Whinging tonight. There's been a major change in the plan and I'll need to speak with both of you about it. We'll be meeting at 12 Grimmauld Place at 5 PM to discuss it. Shacklebolt out."

The Patronus dissolved.

"Change of plan," Lupin mused. "It shouldn't be that hard to Floo or Apparate Harry out. I wonder what happened."

"Mad-Eye's been concerned about the Ministry," Tonks said. "He said there are personnel there he thinks are Death Eaters or are being controlled by Death Eaters. If they've managed to throw some wrench into the gears, things could get nasty."

She frowned and the colors in her hair flickered. Lupin reached up and caressed her shoulder for a moment. She smiled, hair back to normal, and kissed him on the forehead. Then she rose back into a sitting position and looking down at him.

"How long," she asked, hints of mischief in her voice, "do you think it will take to pack up and check out?

Lupin immediately deduced what she was getting at. He smiled back.

"Not more than half an hour tops."

Tonks' grin widened.

"I think we have time to finish what we started."

"I agree."


	6. The Battle of the Seven Potters

**The Battle of the Seven Potters**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **This chapter is adapted from "The Seven Potters" and "Fallen Warrior" from _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_. I also got some of the ideas for Lupin's anger at Tonks from "Water Falls" by MrsTater, which is available on this site.

July 27th, 1997 AD

5 PM

Having dropped off their bags at home, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks materialized in front of 12 Grimmauld Place.

Lupin drew his wand as soon as he'd gotten his bearings.

_Even if Kingsley and Alastor think it's safe, Snape's been here and knows how to get here. Best be on the safe side._

He was aware of Tonks drawing her own wand as they went inside and slowly made their way to the kitchen.

"Remus, Tonks," Kingsley Shacklebolt said. "Or is it Mr. and Mrs. Lupin now?"

"Still Tonks," she said. "Likely to stay that way. What's going on?"

"Pius Thicknesse has thrown a wrench into the gears," Mad-Eye Moody growled. "He's gone over to the Death Eaters, either of his own free will or Imperius. Nobody's willing to believe me, they think I'm being paranoid."

_Uh oh. Thicknesse is the head of the DMLE._

"He's used the Emergency Decrees to bar connecting the Dursley residence to the Floo Network, place a Portkey there, or Apparate in and out," Moody continued. "He claims it's for Harry's protection, but Lily's charm provides enough of that."

_Oh bugger. This_ does _throw a wrench in the gears._

"We're going to have to take Harry out the hard way. Luckily, Hagrid's got Sirius's flying motorcycle and has supplied us with some thestrals. We've also got brooms, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Dedalus is going to fetch Harry's relations and when they're gone, we're going over there."

July 27th, 1997 AD

7 PM

The Order members alighted in the Dursleys' back garden, Rubeus Hagrid astride the flying motorcycle, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Bill Weasley on thestrals, and the rest on brooms.

Soon after they landed, their Disillusionment Charms began wearing off. At that moment, Harry Potter rushed out of the back door.

"All righ', Harry? Ready fer the off?"

"Definitely," Harry replied. "But I wasn't expecting that many of you!"

"Change of plan," Moody growled. "Let's get undercover before we talk you through it."

The Order members quickly spread throughout the Dursleys' spotless kitchen, with Tonks bounding past Lupin to perch atop the washing machine.

"Harry, guess what?" she asked after Harry had finished talking to Shacklebolt. Lupin smiled indulgently as she wriggled her left hand, showing off her ring.

"You got married?" Harry yelped, looking from her to Lupin.

"I'm sorry you couldn't be there, Harry, it was very quiet."

Moody quickly cut off Harry's response and explained the situation to him. It took awhile before Harry asked the obvious question and Moody revealed the Polyjuice Potion. It took even more time before they managed to badger him into giving up some of his hair.

Lupin repressed the urge to shake his head.

_Harry, Harry, Harry. Can't you see we're doing this for your protection?_

Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Fred and George Weasley, Fleur Delacour and Mundungus Fletcher were soon Polyjuiced into Harry clones. They changed into identical Harry Potter outfits — much to the real Harry's mortification when Hermione and Delacoeur decided wearing women's undergarments while Polyjuiced into a man was uncomfortable — and quickly chose their mounts.

"Which leaves you and me, Ron!" Tonks said brightly. Her gesture knocked over a mug tree and Lupin hid a smile at her clumsiness.

The group dispersed to their mounts, with George Weasley mounting the broom behind Lupin and Ron Weasley settling in behind Tonks.

"Hold on tight, Ron," Tonks said cheerfully. The youngest of the three Weasleys shot a red-faced, apologetic look at Lupin before grabbing hold of her.

Lupin shrugged.

_I doubt I have much to fear from a student._

The flying motorcycle roared and Hagrid led them into the sky. The remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix followed, over a dozen warriors speeding off into the night.

Lupin allowed himself to sigh in relief.

_Looks like our trick worked. The Death Eaters will swarm the place in a few days, but Harry won't be there._

Then dozens of black-robed figures on brooms of their own materialized around them. Lupin barely had time to swear mentally before the Killing Curses started flying…

July 27th, 1997 AD

7:15 PM

"Hang on!" Tonks shouted to Ron as she steered her broom directly at the nearest Death Eater.

The Death Eaters immediately behind Tonks fell back, firing Killing Curses. She went into a series of corkscrew maneuvers, dodging their curses and firing her own. One Death Eater burst into flames, while a Killing Curse of her own caught a Death Eater in the head.

Only one terrorist remained in her path. He continued falling back, hurling Killing Curses and forcing her to continue her elaborate maneuvers.

_Gotta get him_, she thought. _You've been lucky you haven't fallen off your broom or collided with something yet._

She stabbed with her wand, but the Death Eater deflected her curse. He did the same to her second and third attacks as well.

"Has shagging the werewolf made you weak?" the terrorist called out.

Tonks scowled.

_I'll show you._

She waved her wand, but it wasn't a curse. Instead, it was an attempt at Transfiguration.

The Death Eater moved to Shield himself again, but there was no burst of energy to deflect. Instead, he turned into a field mouse and fell from the sky like a rock.

Tonks grinned.

_Gotcha!_

A curse whizzed by Tonks' ear. She stole a glance behind her and saw a Death Eater in hot pursuit.

"Stupefy!" Ron shouted. Tonks looked back and saw the Death Eater falling.

"Capital job, Ron!" Tonks shouted. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smile.

Behind her, the noise of battle began to fade. Tonks frowned.

_Did we get away from them? This was too easy._

Two more Death Eaters materialized in front of her. Tonks frowned.

_Figures._

The Death Eaters immediately hurled Killing Curses. Tonks dove, the two curses passing over her heard, and fired curses straight up into the underside of the two terrorists' brooms.

One of them dodged, but the other could not. His broom broken, he fell, his screams more high-pitched than normal.

_Best not tell Remus about that. He might start getting sympathy pains._

The last Death Eater dove after her, two Killing Curses missing her by inches.

_Too close._

She dove straight downwards, the Death Eater in hot pursuit. The roads, houses, and ponds that seemed so small from high above grew larger and more detailed as she plummeted towards them.

_Just a little longer, just a little longer…_

She dove past a tall tree, a branch slapping her cheek. Another second and she would slam into someone's front yard.

_Now!_

Tonks yanked her broom upward, coming out of her drive. She felt grass blades tickling her feet for a brief second before she rose into the air.

Behind her, the Death Eater slammed into the ground. Clods of dirt landed in her hair, although Ron took the worst of it.

"Is he getting up?" Tonks asked.

"Nope."

Tonks exhaled with relief. She reoriented herself towards Muriel's house and for a long moment, flew without interruption.

_Good. Should be done now._

Then a voice she had futilely hoped never to hear again stabbed her ears.

"Why hello, little Tonksie. Your Auntie Bella has come to play with you."

Bellatrix Lestrange had come calling.

July 27th, 1997 AD

7:20 PM

Meanwhile, Lupin was having trouble of his own. A squadron of Death Eaters set off after him, baying for blood.

"Stupefy!" George shouted behind him. "Confringo!" The Death Eaters dodged or deflected his curses, although Lupin saw one Death Eater tumble from his broom.

He decided to add his own firepower to the fray. Keeping one eye ahead of him, he turned and stabbed with his wand.

_Incendio!_

A torrent of flames erupted from his wand, igniting two Death Eaters. The others recoiled, their hoods falling away.

_Snape_, Lupin mentally growled at the sight of one of the men's faces. _Pity I've got to keep George safe, or else I'd settle accounts with you._

Taking advantage of the Death Eaters' momentary confusion, Lupin flew faster.

_Hopefully I can put enough distance…_

"Sectumsempra!"

Red light flashed and behind him, George screamed. Lupin felt hot blood soaking his coat.

_Damn you, Snape._

Lupin looked behind him, hunting for Snape. It would be exceedingly fitting if he used his own spell against him, hopefully somewhere vital like the throat.

The blood continued soaking into Lupin's coat. George moaned and his hands began sliding off Lupin's waist.

"No!" Lupin shouted. He grabbed onto George with his free hand, clamping down on the broom with his wand and hoping his wand wouldn't slip free.

"Hold on," he hissed.

George moaned, sounding vaguely affirmative. Lupin could feel blood trickling down from the saturated regions around his shoulder. George continued to slide down the broom, with only Lupin's grip keeping him from falling off entirely.

The Death Eaters cried out in glee. Two of them hurled Killing Curses and Lupin barely managed to pull George between them.

_Change of plans. Run, and run fast._

Lupin dove towards the Muggle neighborhoods below, hoping none had come outside to watch the light show and risk being hit by a stray curse. He flew as erratically as he could without shaking George off, dodging two more Killing Curses.

Suddenly, the sounds of the oncoming pursuit vanished. Lupin risked a look behind him.

The Death Eaters were gone.

_What the hell's going on? Where did they go?_

Lupin's heart sank.

_Did they find the real one?_

For a moment, Lupin pondered setting off to find Harry, help protect him.

_No. George is hurt. Got to get him to safety._

He turned and flew into the deepening night.

July 27th, 1997 AD

7:30 PM

Tonks jinked to the side, narrowly avoiding a Killing Curse cast by her mad aunt. Tonks unleashed a spray of Blasting Curses and Ron contributed some Stunners. The two Death Eaters dodged or deflected all of them.

"Looks like standards have really gone down at the Auror Department," Rodolphus growled. "The Longbottoms put up a better fight than you and we took them by surprise."

Tonks gritted her teeth and her hair flared red. She'd visited the Longbottoms at St. Mungo's as all Aurors did, to see the effects of prolonged application of the Cruciatus Curse firsthand.

_I'll show you! Confringo multis!_

Multiple Blasting Curses erupted from Tonks' wand like bullets from a Muggle machine gun. Rodolphus moved to Shield himself, but he wasn't quick enough. Tonks' curses slammed into his head and upper torso, sending blood and teeth flying everywhere. Trailing blood, he tumbled off his broom into some trees.

"Roddy!" Bellatrix screamed. Her dark eyes locked on Tonks.

"You'll pay for that, you half-breed werewolf-shagging trollop!"

"Bring it!" Tonks snarled.

Behind her, Ron hurled a Stunner, which Bellatrix quickly deflected. She laughed.

"You haven't been practicing, Potter," she growled. "Crucio!"

Tonks dodged, saving Ron from even a moment of torture, and hurled a stream of flames at Bellatrix. The evil witch Shielded herself and hurled another Killing Curse, this time at Tonks.

Tonks dodged again, but kept the flames in constant contact with Bellatrix's Shield. Behind the shimmering magical defense, she could see her aunt's clothes burst into flames.

_Shields don't stop heat._

Bellatrix screamed and broke off her pursuit, using her wand to put out the flames. Tonks took this as an opportunity to run.

Behind her, Tonks could hear her aunt swearing and pursuing again.

_Damn it._

She turned and aimed her wand.

_Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!_

Two jets of green light hurtled straight at Bellatrix. She weaved between them.

"Using Unforgivables? Lucky you're an Auror, or they'd do to you what they did to me," Bellatrix called out.

She hurled a spray of Killing Curses in return. Tonks dove and jinked from side to side, evading all of them. Some, however, missed her by an inch.

_Too close._

Ron pointed.

"We're almost there!"

Tonks followed Ron's finger. Below them, she saw a small country house, felt the aura of magic around it.

"There it is!" Ron called out.

Tonks dove for it, Bellatrix in close pursuit.

"I'll get you!" she cried out. Then she abruptly disappeared and Tonks grinned.

_The Order safe-houses are surrounded by wards that Apparate trespassers to random places. Hopefully she ended up in the middle of the Irish Sea._

"Looks like we're safe," Ron commented.

"Yep. We're at your great-aunt's place."

Ron groaned. Tonks headed straight for the house.

July 27th, 1997 AD

8 PM

The Portkey yanked Lupin and George to the Burrow. As soon as they arrived, Lupin saw Harry running towards him.

Could he be an impostor? One of those who betrayed us?

He momentarily considered drawing his wand. However, he still had to worry about George. He allowed Harry to take George's legs and together they carried him into the sitting room and laid him on the sofa.

While Molly tended to her injured son, Lupin decided to deal with the dubious Harry. He grabbed Harry and dragged him into the kitchen, ignoring Hagrid's protests.

"What creature sat in the corner of the first time that Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?" he demanded. "Answer me!"

"A—a grindylow in a tank, wasn't it?"

Good. It's really him.

He released Harry. Behind him, he heard Hagrid rumble.

"Wha' was tha' about?" the half-giant roared.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I had to check," Lupin said. "We've been betrayed. Voldemort knew that you were being moved tonight and the only people who could have told him were directly involved in the plan. You might have been an impostor."

"So why aren' you checkin' me?" Hagrid panted.

"You're half-giant," Lupin replied, looking up at him.

Harry started talking and Lupin turned towards him. He listened to him, nodding periodically until Harry brought up Stan Shunpike.

What? That's all he's doing, Disarming his enemies?

"Harry, the time for Disarming is past! These people are trying to capture and kill you! At least Stun if you aren't prepared to kill!"

"We were hundreds of feet up!" Harry protested. "Stan's not himself, and if I Stunned him and he'd fallen, he'd have died the same as if I'd used Avada Kedavra! Expelliarmus saved me from Voldemort two years ago," he added.

A fair point. But Shunpike is a freak case.

"Yes, Harry," he said, resisting the urge to yell, "and a great number of Death Eaters witnessed that happening! Forgive me, but it was a very unusual move then, under imminent threat of death. Repeating it tonight in front of Death Eaters who either witnessed it or heard about the first occasion was close to suicidal!"

"So you think I should have killed Stan Shunpike?" Harry retorted.

"Of course not. But the Death Eaters—frankly, most people—would have expected you to attack back! Expelliarmus is a useful spell, Harry, but the Death Eaters seem to think it is your signature move, and I urge you not to let it become so!"

"I won't blast people out of my way just because they're there," said Harry. "That's Voldemort's job."

How foolish. In war, those who aren't willing to kill tend to die.

"Will George be okay?"

Lupin was glad to change the subject.

"I think so, although there's no chance of replacing his ear, not when it's been cursed off—"

Scuffling erupted from outside.

_Death Eaters!_

Lupin drew his wand and rushed out the back door, Harry close behind.

It was Shacklebolt and Hermione. After the paranoid preliminaries, they discussed their parts of the battle.

_Another mass breakout, one the Ministry covered up_, Lupin mused. _That would explain Travers and Shunpike._ _I figured __Scrimgeour_ _would be more effective than Fudge, but it doesn't seem that way._

The man was an Auror, unlike the idiot Fudge, but far too concerned about appearances and keeping up morale. His refusal to lend his support to removing Umbridge's anti-werewolf laws was putting a serious crimp in Lupin's efforts to woo the werewolves away from Fenrir Greyback.

He looked up at the dark sky. Ron, Fred, Arthur, Bill, Delacour, Tonks, Mad-Eye, and Fletcher had still not returned.

_She's not back yet. She's an Auror, a priority target._

He swallowed.

_Of course, she's also the one best-trained to deal with Dark wizards. She's got a better shot than most Order members._

He scowled.

_If anyone should die first, it should be me. I don't have much ahead of me, but she has her whole life._

Sweat beaded on his brow and his eyes raked the empty night.

_Where could she be? Where is she?_

Then a broom materialized in midair. Lupin briefly glimpsed bubble-gum pink hair before the broom and its riders slammed into the ground, sending dirt and pebbles flying.

"Remus!" Tonks cried, staggering off the broom and into Lupin's arms. They held each other for a long moment. Beside them, Lupin could see Ron and Hermione having a similar reunion.

Tonks turned away from him and regaled the assembled Order members with tales of Ron's heroism.

Why isn't she telling us just what kept her? The Death Eaters are killing Aurors now, damn it!

"What kept you? What happened?" Lupin demanded.

"Bellatrix," Tonks replied, hatred in her voice. "She wants me quite as much as she wants Harry, Remus, she tried very hard to kill me. I just wish I'd got her, I owe Bellatrix. But we definitely injured Rodolphus. Then we got to Ron's Auntie Muriel's and we'd missed our Portkey and she was fussing over us."

Lupin's breathing returned to normal. He nodded.

Damn it. This is your fault. Bellatrix already has reason to kill Tonks, the fact she's further "polluted" the holy Black bloodline by marrying a werewolf will make it even worse!

Shacklebolt had to leave. Lupin and Tonks turned to find Molly and Arthur heading their way.

"Thank you," Molly said. "For our sons."

"Don't be silly, Molly," Tonks said.

"How's George?" Lupin asked.

"What's wrong with him?" Ron asked.

Mrs. Weasley tried to explain, but then Bill and Delacour arrived on their Thestral. Bill and his mother briefly hugged before Bill faced his father.

"Mad-Eye's dead?"

Beside him, Lupin could sense his wife's jaw dropping and eyes bulging.

Bill told the tale of the great Auror's death, of Mundugus's cowardice.

_Or was it treason? Dung's a bloody criminal and Voldemort has the wealth of the Malfoys and other families to back him._

They went into the house to deliver the bad news to the other Order members. Beside him, Tonks dissolved into tears.

Bill got out firewhiskey and they all toasted Moody. Lupin drained his glass at once and pondered darkly.

_Voldemort went for Dung and Dung fled, getting Moody killed. I wonder if that was planned?_

"So Mundungus disappeared?" Lupin asked.

The atmosphere around him tensed. Lupin gritted his teeth.

Nobody wants to talk about treason, but it's a damn big threat. Wormtail was the weakling then; Dung could be the weakling now.

Bill came forward to defend Fletcher.

"It was Mundungus who suggested that little bit of skullduggery. Why wouldn't he have told him the essential point? I think Dung panicked, it's as simple as that. He didn't want to come in the first place, but Mad-Eye made him, and You-Know-Who went straight for them. It was enough to make anyone panic."

Tonks joined in.

"You-Know-Who acted exactly as Mad-Eye expected him to," she sniffed. "Mad-Eye said he'd expect the real Harry to be with the toughest, most skilled Aurors. He chased Mad-Eye first, and when Mundungus gave them away, he switched to Kingsley."

Delacour put her two cents in.

"Eet still does not explain 'ow zey knew we were moving 'Arry tonight," she declared. "Somebody must 'ave been careless. Somebody let slip ze date to an outsider. It is ze only explanation for zem knowing ze date but not ze 'ole plan."

Nobody contradicted her for a long moment. Then Harry protested, denying anyone would knowingly betray him.

Lupin repressed an urge to groan.

_Oh, the righteousness of youth. He won't kill, he won't think anyone could possibly betray him._

Harry looked right at Lupin.

"You think I'm a fool?" he demanded.

"No, I think you're like James," he replied. "Who would have regarded it as the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends."

_Something that ultimately got him killed, and Lily with him._

Lupin turned away from Harry.

"There's work to do. I can ask Kingsley—"

Bill stepped forward.

"I'll do it. I'll come."

"Where are you going?" Tonks and Fleur asked at once.

"Mad-Eye's body," Lupin said. "We need to recover it."

_We don't want the bloody Death Eaters carrying it back to wherever they lurk. Only God knows what they'd do to it._

"Can't it—?" began Molly, who looked straight at Bill.

"Wait?" Bill finished. "Not unless you'd rather the Death Eaters took it."

Lupin repressed the urge to smile.

_Great minds think alike._

Silence fell.

"Let's go, Bill," Lupin said. "You can show me where he fell."

July 27th, 1997 AD

8:10 PM

Lupin and Bill passed beneath the trees near where Bill saw Moody fall. Lupin felt the darkness close in around them. He drew his wand.

"Keep your wand out," Lupin ordered. "There might be enemy wounded about and a wounded animal is the most dangerous one of all."

"Good idea," Bill replied.

The two of them walked deeper into the trees. Lupin swept his wand in a circle ahead of him.

_Cadaver revelio._

There was a corpse nearby. Lupin looked up and saw a hole in the canopy where someone might have recently fallen.

_It could be Moody, or it could be some random Death Eater. In any event, it could be booby-trapped._

"Bill," he whispered. "I think I might have found it. Follow me, and be ready for trouble if they've laid a trap."

Bill nodded. The two of them made their way towards where the mysterious corpse lay. They had to step over some substantial fallen branches — whoever had crash-landed here hadn't landed quietly.

Ahead of them lay a body. Unfortunately, it wore black robes and a skull mask.

_Damn it. It's some Death Eater._

The two of them combed the woods for the next hour. They had another false alarm from a fallen Death Eater.

"Do you think we should head back?" Bill asked. "Mum, Fleur, and Tonks'll probably be worried sick and we're having no luck finding him."

_Good points. Let's hope the Death Eaters had similar problems finding the body._

Lupin nodded, face grim.

"Let's."

July 27th, 1997 AD

8:12 PM

When they returned to the Burrow, only the adult members of the Order were still there — the kids had apparently gone to bed.

"We couldn't find it," Bill announced. "We found a place where it might have landed, but nothing was there."

"C-could Mad-Eye still be alive?" Molly asked.

Lupin shook his head.

"Exceedingly doubtful," he said. "If the curse didn't kill him, the fall did."

This pronouncement sent Tonks, seated on the fireplace with her hair its sad mousy brown, into another spurt of weeping. Lupin felt his heart twist inside him.

_He was everyone's comrade, but he was her mentor and she was like a daughter to him. _

He stepped over to her.

"Tonks," he said.

Tonks ignored him, lost in her grief.

Lupin stepped over and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Dora," he said, using for the first time her father's nickname for her.

She looked up, dark eyes wide and liquid. Lupin's heart burned. He sat down next to her and slid an arm around her.

"It's all right," he said, gently patting her.

Tonks leaned close.

"Thank you, Remus," she said.

He could feel her tears soaking into his coat. As she wept, he traced a finger up and down her spine.

_That's three Aurors the Death Eaters have killed in the last two months and Bellatrix is after her specifically. It's because she further sullied the House of Black by marrying a werewolf, I imagine. Another burden I put on her._

He sighed.

_The darkness is falling._

Lupin took her hands and pulled her to her feet.

"Dora, let's go home."

Tonks sat up and looked at him.

"Yes. Let's."


	7. Going Back Underground

**Going Back Underground**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **The problems transformations will cause a pregnant werewolf and the resulting motivation for the child-snatching come from "Teddy Lupin and the Hunter's Moon," which is a LiveJournal belonging to Fernwithy. It can be found via Google. Also, based on reader comments, I've decided that younger characters such as Harry, Ron, Hermione or characters with shared last names will be referred to by their first names, while older characters like Lupin or Shacklebolt will be referred to by their last names. The wedding chapter and the Battle of Seven Potters have been revised accordingly.

July 29th, 1997

3:30 PM

"Remus, think about it," Nymphadora Tonks said. "This is mad."

Remus Lupin repressed the urge to roll his eyes.

_We've been through this._

"Voldemort's power is growing and that means so is Greyback's," he replied as he stuffed some clothes into his rucksack. "Someone's got to go in there and tell the others that there's a better way besides serving as bullyboys for a snake-faced psychopath. They won't listen to a 'human,' but they will listen to me."

"Remus, Greyback must've seen you at Hogwarts the night Dumbledore died! They'll kill you!"

"Greyback is no fool, Dora. He and his gang know who I fought for in the First War. He'll tolerate me, not out of love, but because 'we werewolves have got to stick together.' Besides," he gestured to a bag containing loaves of bread and the sack of oatmeal, "a little goodwill goes a long way."

Tonks looked at him, eyes wide.

"Do you think a little bit of food is enough to risk your life on?"

"You know, if you're that worried, we could always go out and buy some nice cuts of meat. A big piece for Greyback, as befits the Alpha Male, some smaller pieces for his lieutenants, and a dozen rashers of bacon to randomly distribute. Ten Galleons wouldn't be too big a bite out of your Auror paycheck or for that matter, out of my investments."

Tonks shook her head.

"Buying the rings was enough, Remus. I remember the Weasleys were so kind as to give us a fair bit of food as wedding gifts — I'll see if there's some good meat there."

Tonks disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few moments later with three big foil-wrapped parcels.

"Do you think Greyback appreciates home-cooked meat pies?"

Lupin thought back to the time Greyback and his inner circle had deigned to invite him to one of their powwows.

_The monster loves his meat, the rarer the better. I can't always vouch for where this meat comes from, but I can't imagine Molly stuffing neighborhood children into her pies._

"I think he would," Lupin said.

"Take three," Tonks said.

"I think I can manage that."

She put the pies in the bag with the other food items. Then she sighed.

"Remus, please don't go," she pleaded. "The Order's taken hits lately, especially with Mad-Eye, and we need all the manpower we can get. Walking straight into your doom won't benefit anyone..."

_Mad-Eye. No wonder she's so upset. Her mentor's been dead only two days and now her husband of four days is going into the lair of a monster._

"Dora, Kingsley's orders. He's not Scrimgeour, he thinks the werewolves aren't a lost cause. Surely you'd agree with that."

_I think I've got you there._

Tonks frowned. "All right," she said.

Then she rushed forward. He took her in his arms and she rested her head on his shoulder. For a moment, Lupin noticed a subtle difference in the way Tonks smelled.

"Don't worry, love," he said. "I'll send you a Patronus every day telling you how I'm doing. Besides, I won't be gone long — I'll be back for Harry's birthday party in a few days."

Tonks pulled back and looked up at him.

"Promise me that, Remus Lupin."

Lupin smiled.

"I promise."

Lupin Disapparated

July 29th, 1997

3:35 PM

He materialized in a clearing in front of the familiar Muggle "No Trespassing" sign nailed to a beech tree that marked the outer edge of the werewolf colony. As he always did, he shook his head.

_The place is spelled so the only Muggles who can see it are those who've been infected with lycanthropy. That sign is unnecessary._

He walked around the beech tree and found the trail leading deeper into the woods. As he passed beneath the trees, the forest closed in around him and the temperature dropped considerably. He felt his heartbeat accelerate and his ears perk up.

_The woods will do that to you. Out here in the forest, the wolf comes out._

He thought back to the flashes he could remember from the times he'd roam the Forbidden Forest, the Hogwarts grounds, and even Hogsmeade with James, Sirius, and Peter. He remembered the trees, the chirp of birds, the full moon hanging overhead…

A branch snapped in the woods to Lupin's right. His eyes darted towards the sound and his hand dropped to his wand.

_If Dora's right, this would be a good chance for an ambush. Narrow space, limited visibility…_

He slowly drew his wand.

_Hominem revelio._

It was a fox. Lupin exhaled in relief.

_You're not dead yet._

He made his way down the winding path, alert for possible threats. As he came around a bend, the curved roof of the werewolf colony came into view.

Lupin had learned much of its history from the other werewolves when he first came to live in the colony years ago. It had been a Muggle train station once, but the line it served had been eliminated in the railway modernization of the 1950s. For some reason nobody knew, the station and the area around it had been abandoned to nature.

For twenty years it lay rotting and rusting, until Fenrir Greyback found it.

The station was big enough to accommodate all of the werewolf gangs of wizarding Britain and due to its architecture, it could be defended against superior numbers of attackers. There was plenty of land around it to roam during the full moons and, isolated as it was from the towns and cities, it was less likely to draw the Ministry's attention.

Over the next few years, Greyback gathered the majority of Britain's werewolves to his colony, building an army hundreds strong. The small packs the wizards felt they could freely disdain grew into a force even the Ministry feared.

The notion of being feared by the society that scorned him brought a momentary smile to his face. He quickly forced it away.

_It is the fear that makes it hard for the general public to accept us. We're no longer pitiable outcasts, but instead part of a barbarian horde._

Still, it was a place where werewolves could find food if they weren't able to scrounge successfully, where they could hide from officious bureaucrats or the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where they could find friends who shared their cares and burdens…

And where Greyback could provide them with the families they would be hard-pressed to find otherwise, if they served him well.

Lupin stepped out of the forest and crossed the open ground — the free-fire zone any attacking Law Enforcement personnel or Aurors would have to cross — towards the colony. He was ready to Shield himself if need be, but no curses came.

_Either I'm not in any danger or Greyback has a more subtle plan._

Lupin repressed a shudder at the memory of what happened when Greyback decided to resort to something other than brute force.

He climbed up the steps leading to the main entrance. Two other werewolves — rough men in patched clothes — moved to intercept him.

_Here it comes._

"Hallo, Lupin," one of them said. "Heard about your adventure the other night."

The other laughed.

"The Dark Lord's boys were impressed, even if the Dark Lord himself was raging. Clever move, what your folk did."

Lupin nodded.

"Thank you," he said. "Although the idea wasn't mine."

The other laughed.

"Humble as ever," he said. "Heard you snagged a human wife too."

Lupin felt his heart sink.

_Uh oh._

"The paper said she's an Auror and scuttlebutt is she's the niece of the mad bitch Bellatrix," the first werewolf said. "You won't tell either of them where the colony is?"

Lupin shook his head.

"Of course not," Lupin said. "I'd prefer to spend as little time as possible with that branch of the in-laws."

The man shuddered.

"Aye. She's right mad, that one, and any family of hers must be pretty damn scary too."

_Not really, but if believing that'll keep people off my back, I'll gladly let them._

The first werewolf pointed to the bag of food.

"I see you've got food, a lot of it. How much for 'rent'?"

Rent, of course, was paid to Greyback, who in turn distributed it to his lieutenants. Lupin was reminded of the Muggle Vikings and how their chiefs were supposed to be free-handed with gold.

"I think Fenrir would appreciate some nice meat pies, don't you think?"

The second werewolf looked like he was about to start drooling.

"Meat pies. Haven't had one in a decade. Do you think he'd let me have one?"

"Only one way to find out — serve him well," Lupin replied.

He didn't like giving that kind of advice, knowing what kind of tasks Greyback would have the man perform for his meat pie.

_Time to change the subject._

"Is my spot still empty?"

The first werewolf nodded.

"Yep. Just go right in and drop your stuff off there. Don't forget to leave the meat pies with Fenrir's man."

"Don't worry. I won't."

The two werewolves stepped aside and Lupin opened the door. He was halfway through when the second werewolf spoke.

"Excuse me," he asked. "Could you do me a favor?"

Lupin turned.

"What sort of favor?"

"Well," the second werewolf began, "With Dumbledore dead and all, the Ministry's gotten more careful about security. It's hard to go into the cities and that means…"

Lupin understood immediately. Feared and despised by most, the werewolves occupied an economic limbo. Regular work was all but impossible to get, particularly with the laws Umbridge imposed that Scrimgeour didn't remove, but if anyone needed stuff done under the table, be it cleaning a house or cracking someone's head, one could always find a werewolf. If security had been tightened, that meant fewer jobs and less money.

"Hungry?" Lupin asked.

The second werewolf nodded.

Lupin smiled.

"I think I've got food to spare."

He reached into his bag and pulled out a loaf of bread. He handed it to the second werewolf.

"Thanks," the second werewolf said. "I owe you."

Lupin walked onto the platform, past what used to be a pastry shop that was now occupied by one of the higher-ranking werewolves. He hopped down onto the old rail line and searched for the grotto he'd made his home during his time in the colony.

_Here it is._

He went inside and with a wave of his wand, Vanished away the dust that had accumulated in the weeks he'd been gone. The charm he'd set on his little sanctuary's ceiling had worn off and he could hear the footsteps of the other colony residents on the platform above.

_Silencio limitis._

That cut down on the noise from above him considerably.

He set his bags down and unzipped his rucksack, pulling out his sleeping bag. He laid it out in the corner of the grotto.

_Okay. Get your spot set up, take Greyback's tribute to him…_

Suddenly, he sensed someone behind him. He spun suddenly, raising his wand.

A wide-eyed little boy ducked out of the grotto. Lupin's heart sank.

_Oh no._

Lupin stuck his head out of the grotto. He looked to the right. The boy was gone.

Then he looked to the left.

_There he is._

"Are you," the boy said, thinking for a moment, "David Wilson?"

"No," Lupin said, squatting down to be at eye level with the boy. "I'm Remus Lupin. What's your name?"

"My name is Jack," he said. "I'm six."

Lupin smiled reassuringly.

"I'm 37. Now, why are you looking for Mr. Wilson?"

The boy began to cry.

"The bad wolf killed Mummy and Daddy," he said through his tears. "He bit me too. But Mr. Greyback brought me here and said David Wilson and his wife are my Daddy and Mummy now."

Lupin repressed the urge to vomit.

_I wonder if you know that 'Mr. Greyback' probably was the bad wolf._

The boy kept talking.

"He said that David Wilson and his wife were going to have a baby, but the baby died."

_Makes sense_, Lupin thought. _The transformations are hell on a pregnant werewolf. Most pregnant werewolves miscarry; those who don't give birth to sickly children who never live more than a week._

Jack was six, though, not much younger than Lupin was when he was bitten. He was big enough to withstand the terrible body-warping the transformation would bring on him.

_It's just as well. What would a werewolf do with a baby?_

Jack's crying called Lupin's attention back to him.

_It's certainly not well for the older children the bastard has snatched._

"They…they say everyone here is a werewolf," the boy asked. "Does that mean I'm one too?"

Lupin nodded.

"Yes. If you were bitten by a werewolf, you'll become one as well."

The boy's crying grew more intense. In that moment, Lupin hated himself more than ever.


	8. An Announcement and a Birthday

**An Announcement and a Birthday**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

July 31st, 1997 AD

6:30 PM

Remus Lupin returned to the house he shared with his wife Nymphadora Tonks after spending several days in the werewolf colony, monitoring their activities.

_Greyback wasn't there a lot_, he noted.

On one hand, that limited the opportunities Greyback had to kill him or order other werewolves to do it. On the other hand, that limited Lupin's ability to figure just what the werewolf lord was up to.

He cast a Revealing Charm before opening the door. Luckily, only Tonks was in the house.

_Can't be too careful with Bellatrix on the loose._

He opened the door and stepped inside, setting his rucksack on a nearby table. He smelled something cooking in the kitchen and his mouth watered.

_Food, good food and not just yesterday's bread, tea, and kippers. I could get used to this._

And with the better food Tonks could buy, he could practice his own cooking. He used to be quite good too, although he hadn't had the opportunity in recent years, and Tonks would be all too willing to eat whatever he made.

Tonks emerged from the kitchen, wand raised. When she saw Lupin, she rushed over to hug him. She stayed attached to him for quite awhile.

"Thank God, Remus," she said. "I was starting to worry when your Patronus didn't arrive at the usual time."

Lupin shook his head. "Sorry, Dora. I got a bit delayed trying to find out just where Greyback is. He's apparently off somewhere with You-Know-Who a lot of the time, which worries me. Something's going on. Nobody seems to know — or at least be willing to tell me — just what, but there's something else."

Tonks' face fell.

"Bloody hell. Did you tell Kingsley?"

He nodded.

"Yeah. He said he'll take it to Scrimgeour, but the Minister's very busy these days and manpower is stretched tightly as is."

Tonks nodded, then her expression brightened.

"I have a surprise for you," Tonks said.

Lupin raised an eyebrow.

_Ah._

"What might this surprise be?" he asked. "I smell something good cooking."

Tonks' grin widened.

"No, Remus, it's not that," she said.

"Hmm…has Scrimgeour seen the light and repealed Umbridge's laws?"

"That would be great, but it's not that either."

"Hmm…I'm stumped. What could it be?"

"We're going to have a baby."

_What? Did she just say what I thought she said?_

"What?" Lupin said, painfully aware of his slack jaw.

Tonks' smile grew wider.

"You're going to be a father and I'm going to be a mother in nine months' time. Isn't that great?"

Lupin's vision swam for a moment and Tonks' expression momentarily shifted from joyful to concerned.

"Remus?" she asked. "Are you all right?"

Lupin grabbed hold of the table to steady himself.

"H…how do you know?" he stammered.

"Well," Tonks began. "The morning after you left, I woke up with a right upset stomach and barely got to the bathroom before throwing up. Same thing this morning. And my breasts have been awfully tender."

"Are you sure it's not something you've eaten?" Lupin asked. "Perhaps you didn't heat the leftovers enough? A few years back, I had some reheated Muggle pizza and things didn't go well."

"Well, I wondered about that myself, but between tender breasts, some cramps, and the fact my period was late…"

"You know, with Mad-Eye and all, you've probably been under a lot of stress…"

Tonks rolled her eyes.

"I don't usually react to stress that way. Based on this combination of things, I went out and got a blood test and confirmed it. I'm pregnant, Remus, and I'm pretty sure it's a boy."

Lupin came perilously close to hyperventilating.

_I know we talked about having children someday, but not now, not with the Dark Lord winning!_

"Dora," he began. "Have you been taking your potion?"

Tonks cocked her head.

"Yes, yes I have. I started taking it a couple of days before our wedding, just to be safe. Why do you ask?"

Lupin exhaled, then inhaled again.

_It's because I'm a werewolf, I imagine. Nobody bothered to see whether it would be effective with a werewolf and a normal witch because nobody figured that would happen._

Tonks stepped over and took him in her arms.

"Remus, I know the timing's not ideal…"

That triggered something inside Lupin. He pulled back, away from her.

"Not ideal! Dora, we're in the middle of a war, and the enemy is winning! You're an Auror, you're too valuable…"

He sighed.

"This is a disaster."

Tonks' face fell.

"_No_, Remus, no it's _not_. It's a baby, _our_ baby! It's a piece of you — of _us_ — growing inside me! It's wonderful!"

_It could also be a werewolf._

He forced that thought from his mind.

_No. Lycanthropy is transmitted by bites only. It's not a hereditary disease._

However, given how werewolves rarely mated except among their own kind and no child of such a mating lived long enough to be affected by the full moon, there was no way to know for sure…

Tonks pulled him back into her arms.

"Remus, don't worry. Relax. Everything's going to be fine."

_The idealism of youth. Be glad you haven't had that ripped from you like I have._

He sighed and looked at his watch.

"Dora, let's not forget the big reason I am home. It's Harry's birthday party tonight."

_That'll give us awhile to cool down, give me some time to think._

"That's a good point. But don't think we can put off the rest of this conversation indefinitely."

_Oh, I know that._

July 31st, 1997 AD

7:00 PM

The two of them materialized in the street near the Burrow.

_Pity we can't come in closer, _Lupin thought_, but the place is too well-defended now._

He shrugged.

_It's for the best._

"Hallo, Lupins!" George Weasley called out. "Follow us."

The two of them followed the twins through the house into the back garden. As they came out of the house, Lupin sucked in a breath.

Several purple lanterns bearing the number 17 floated in the air, exuding purple light. Purple and gold streamers hung from the trees and bushes. Lupin repressed the urge to whistle.

_Wow. I haven't been to such a nice party since, well, Harry's first birthday, at Godric's Hollow._

For a moment, he remembered James and Lily, still outgoing and friendly despite the months in hiding and Sirius laughing as he made his godson float in the air. Peter joined in, the two of them briefly playing catch with the boy before Lily intervened…

The thought of Harry as a baby immediately brought Tonks' revelation back into his mind, with all its attendant worry. Lupin swallowed.

_If you keep thinking about it, you'll get depressed again and you'll ruin Harry's party. Put a smile on that face!_

"Professor Lupin!" Harry said.

Lupin forced himself to smile.

"Happy birthday, Harry," he said, shaking the young wizard's hand.

Tonks repeated the same thing, only she hugged him. Based on Harry's facial expressions, she must have hugged him rather tightly.

"Seventeen, eh!" Hagrid interrupted, taking a bucket-sized wine glass from Fred. "Six years ter the day since we met, Harry, d'yeh remember it?"

_Funny, I remember you meeting him when he was a baby_, Lupin thought acidly.

"Vaguely," Harry said with a smile. "Didn't you smash down the front door, give Dudley a pig's tail, and tell me I was a wizard?"

"I forge' the details," Hagrid chortled.

Lupin smiled faintly.

_I'm pretty certain that's what happened._

Hagrid talked with Ron and Hermione while Charlie Weasley appeared. He and Hagrid greeted each other and discussed the dragon that caused such a stir when Harry was a first-year.

"Wish Dad would hurry up and get here," Charlie remarked. "Mum's getting edgy."

Lupin looked over at the gate, saw Molly's expression.

_Yes, she is._

"I think we'd better start without Arthur," Molly said after a moment. "He must have gotten held up at — oh!"

A bright silver weasel suddenly flew across the yard.

_Arthur's Patronus. I wonder what's going on?_

"Minister of Magic, coming with me," it spoke in Arthur's voice.

_Oh no. He's here._

"We shouldn't be here," Lupin said at once. "Harry — I'm sorry — I'll explain another time — "

He grabbed Tonks' wrist and pulled her away.

_Got to get out of here before he sees us._

"What's going on?" Tonks demanded.

"I'll explain when we get home," Lupin said tersely. "Quickly, now."

Tonks scowled at Lupin as they claimed over the fence.

"You better have a darn good explanation," she said.

"I do," Lupin said. "It's waiting for us at home."

He then Disapparated.

July 31st, 1997 AD

7:05 PM

"What the bloody hell was that about?" Tonks demanded as soon as they were home. "All this talk about you not wanting to ruin Harry's birthday with our fight and then you go and bolt like that?"

Lupin sighed.

"Scrimgeour was there to see Harry, probably about whatever it is Dumbledore wanted him, Ron, and Hermione to do. The three of them are talented young people, but they aren't even seventh-years yet and they're up against one of the most powerful Dark wizards of all time! They'll need help, help the Ministry can provide them, but they don't need me hanging around to prejudice Scrimgeour against him before they've even met!"

Tonks rolled her eyes.

"There you go, blaming yourself again. It takes two to tango — I'm the Auror who married a much older werewolf when I could have the pick of men my own age, you know."

_That is true._

"Yes, and let us not forget you're the one who has regular employment. Scrimgeour might know you've married me, but there's a difference between knowing something and seeing it firsthand! Dora, thanks to Greyback, the Ministry is being even more anti-werewolf than ever and we can't take the chance you'll lose your job! Especially if…if we're going to have a baby."

Tonks' hair flared red for a moment and she put her hands on her hips.

"You're acting like that's a bad thing."

"Right now, it is a bad thing. We need every one who can wave a wand to keep the Death Eaters off our throats, and you being pregnant…"

"I was probably pregnant when we moved Harry and I defeated Rodolphus Lestrange, didn't I?"

_That is true._

"But how long can you keep that up? And what effects would exposure to Dark Magic have on a developing child? Lily and James went into hiding when Harry was conceived, to avoid risking that!"

"Remus, the Death Eaters' kids seemed to have turned out well, physically at least. Twenty years ago, people didn't know what we know now about the effects of magic in utero. I think I'll still be able to fight for awhile yet and…"

Lupin turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"Wait," Tonks said. "Where are you going?"

"Back to the colony," Lupin said as he picked up his rucksack, opened the front door, and headed out into the yard. "I need time to think. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon, for Bill and Fleur's wedding."

Tonks rushed after him.

"But why would you need to go to the colony to…" was all she had time to say before Lupin Disapparated.


	9. Engaging the Wolf Lord

**Engaging the Wolf Lord**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Some of Phillip Wolf's comments were inspired by Lucius Malfoy's comments in "Untouchables" by MrsTater, also available on this site.

July 31st, 1997 AD

7:10 PM

Lupin materialized in front of the "No Trespassing" sign and quickly made his way toward the old train station that made up the core of the colony.

About halfway down the path, he swore and nearly physically kicked himself.

_Your first argument as a married couple and you run off_, he reproached himself. _You are a sad, worthless man._

He shook his head.

_I need time to think about this. Having Tonks around would be a constant distraction._

He made his way down the rest of the path and crossed over the open space to the stairs leading up into the colony.

One of the guards stepped forward. Lupin recognized him as the man he'd given some bread the last time he was there.

"I'd lie low, if I were you," the man whispered. "Greyback's here. He's back from meeting with You-Know-Who and I bet he's gotten an earful about tolerating a Ministry sympathizer in his midst."

_Good. I need to find out what he's up to, get the word to Kingsley._

"Thank you," Lupin said. "I'll be careful."

"Good," the man said, opening the door for Lupin.

As Lupin passed beneath the great arching roof, his mind returned to Tonks' pregnancy.

_Tonks is pregnant. I can't believe it happened so soon._

He swallowed.

_Werewolves don't usually have children. How could I risk bringing one more werewolf into the world? There've been very few, if any, normal witches impregnated by a werewolf — what it if changes form inside her and kills her?_

"Well, if it isn't Remus Lupin!" a rough, harsh voice said. Lupin paled.

_Greyback. It's Greyback._

The images of the attack that infected him returned, the same way they did whenever he heard Greyback's voice. He remembered the enormous gray wolf erupting from the woods, sending the other children he was playing Quidditch with scattering, how he was the last to successfully take to the air and how the wolf had grabbed him by the ankle and pulled him down…

_Not now._

He turned to face the ruler of the werewolves.

Fenrir Greyback, a tall, rangy man with graying hair, whiskers, brown teeth, and sores at the corner of his mouth, looked at Lupin with an expression that almost resembled amusement. Beside him stood Phillip Wolf, a man who was only slightly shorter than Greyback and much more muscular.

Lupin repressed the urge to swallow nervously and tried to sound confident.

"Good evening," he said.

"I heard you'd come back," Wolf hissed. "Right stupid move, that. We know you fought alongside the Order of the Phoenix, _against_ Greyback and the Dark Lord. We know you married a human, an Auror no less. Only Merlin knows what you tell her in bed."

Wolf stepped forward, a rather unwholesome expression on his face.

"Tell me, does she like it on all fours? Perhaps she lets you bite her?"

_I've got the perfect response._

"Why does my sex life concern you, Phillip? Are you perchance a bit envious?"

Wolf snarled in fury.

"I'd like to rip out your traitorous heart, eat it raw!" he half-roared. "Fenrir taught me just how good our enemies' flesh can taste and I've never eaten another werewolf before!"

Lupin's hand dropped to his wand. Wolf bent to spring.

_The fool is fighting with his hands and not his wand. This means I'll have a few seconds to get him when he moves_, Lupin calculated. _Best get him in the air, before he can close._

"Phillip," Greyback said easily. Wolf froze. "You do know the rules, don't you?"

Wolf growled.

"'No violence in the colony, against other werewolves,'" he repeated dutifully. "'We get enough of that from the wizards.'"

Greyback nodded.

"Leave the discipline of this errant cub to me, Phillip."

He gestured with his hand.

_He's ordering him to leave us alone. Either this means the danger's over or things are about to get worse._

"Sir," Wolf began.

"Wolf," Greyback said, letting some menace filter into his voice.

"Yes sir," Wolf said.

The big werewolf slunk away, leaving Lupin alone with Greyback.

_I could do it. He's never been to Hogwarts, he's not as well-trained a wizard as I am. I could kill him, run…_

Greyback chuckled.

"Go ahead. There are anti-Disapparition wards and wards to interfere with Portkeys. You'd have to get to the treeline before you could flee and you'd be cut down before you'd get far."

_If I commit glorious suicide taking down Greyback, the Order loses its sole source within the werewolf community and Wolf or whoever replaces him can go ahead with whatever they're doing. Now is not the time._

"Why should I kill you?" Lupin asked. "You're more valuable to the Order of the Phoenix if you can bring the werewolves over to our side. If you were to do that, certain crimes can be overlooked…"

Greyback laughed.

"Now I know why I keep you around. You amuse me."

He gestured to the floor, then to the door leading out of the colony.

"In here, we are equals, we are free. Out there, the Ministry oppresses us and tries to smother us in annoying rules! They deny us jobs, they spit on us or cross the street to avoid us! What do we owe them?"

Before Lupin could reply, Greyback spat on the ground.

"You got to attend Hogwarts, you had friends who didn't care what you were and gave you money so you could live as close to a normal life as possible. You're poor, by their standards, but you're not in danger of starving to death like most of us are."

Lupin found himself unexpectedly agreeing with Greyback.

_It's true. Without the money James and Lily gave me, I'd be a lot worse off than I am._

"And for every Nymphadora Tonks, there are thousands who would scorn us without even knowing us, just because of what we are," Greyback growled. "Even _prostitutes_ won't touch a werewolf, and that's saying something."

_That's true also._

"Those things may be true," Lupin began. "But your methods only play into their hands, they only make them hate us and fear us more."

"They should fear us," Greyback growled. "After all their cruelty, their arrogance…"

"But that's counterproductive," Lupin protested. "Wouldn't it be better if everyone, werewolves and normal wizards both, could move forward together? Regardless of whether Voldemort or the Ministry triumph, we still have to live together when all this is over."

Greyback smiled.

"A lot of people won't be living sometime soon, Lupin. I've got to plan for that now. Good night."

He turned and walked away. For a moment, Lupin considered firing a lethal curse at Greyback.

_It would be better for Dora to be a widow whose husband died heroically killing a monster than be tied to me for the rest of her life. People might forget that I'm a werewolf then and our son will grow up without having to be ashamed._

Then he remembered he had promised her he'd be back for Bill and Fleur's wedding the next day. He also had to warn Shacklebolt about what Greyback was up to.

_I can deal with Greyback after that._


	10. Wedding of the Year

**Wedding of the Year**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

August 1st, 1997

2:55 PM

Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks materialized in front of the Burrow, just outside the boundaries of its extensive magical defenses.

Tonks was blonde for the occasion. She couldn't stop grinning and she was so radiant she positively glowed.

Her husband would ordinarily be cheered by Tonks' glee but he knew _why_ she was so happy and _that_ troubled him.

_My kind don't usually breed_, he thought, worry invading his chest. _Lycanthropy is transmitted through bites, but no child of a werewolf known to magic has lived long enough to be affected by the full moon. For all we know…_

"Remus," Tonks said, gently taking his arm. "Remus, it will be all right. All the evidence indicates…"

"It's not just that," Lupin said. "It's something I learned at the colony last night."

Tonks' eyes widened.

"What did you learn?" she asked.

Lupin swallowed.

"Greyback's making a move of some kind. He didn't say when. I've informed Shacklebolt, but he hasn't responded yet."

Tonks nodded.

"Looks like there was a silver lining to our fight last night. You've gotten a good piece of intelligence."

Lupin forced himself to smile. He had no right to expect a happy homecoming after storming out and spending the night in the colony and Tonks was taking it better than he had any right to expect.

"Thanks."

_But he knows what he said in front of you. Why didn't he kill me, or at least prevent me from leaving? Loose lips sink ships and all that._

For a moment, he wondered if Greyback was lying. If Lupin brought false word of an attack to the Ministry and the Ministry devoted scant resources trying to stop an attack that would not happen, it would leave them vulnerable to attack elsewhere.

_For all we know, they're plotting to attack this very wedding, magical defenses or not. Molly, Arthur, Charlie, Bill, Fleur, the twins, Tonks, me — nine adult Order members present. Plus Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were at the Department of Mysteries and they have to suspect Harry is here too._

They made their way to the orchard and took positions in the great line of guests that snaked out of the white marquee set up for the wedding.

Lupin continued brooding, ignoring the white-jacketed waiters flitting about. His mind returned to Tonks' pregnancy.

_Even if it's not a werewolf, what kind of life could he or she have? Tonks might keep her name, but any son or daughter would have mine. People would find out just what its father is and there's no guarantee he or she will find people like Prongs, Padfoot, or Wormtail who won't care._

He remembered his own youth, how he had no real friends until he met the boys who became the Marauders. He wouldn't want to wish that kind of isolation on anyone, especially on his own child. And what if, instead of having no friends at all, the child fell in with the wrong crowd? Merlin knew Lupin had turned a blind eye to some of the things Padfoot and Prongs had come up with, and in the grand scheme of things, those weren't as bad as the things the friends of the similarly-outcast _Snape_ liked to do…

"Wotcher," Tonks said, alerting Lupin to the fact someone was near. Lupin saw someone who looked an awful lot like a Weasley…

_That's Harry in disguise._

"Arthur told us you were the one with the curly hair," Tonks said as she greeted Harry.

Her voice dropped to a whisper as Harry led them up the aisle.

"Sorry about last night," she said quietly. "The Ministry's being very anti-werewolf at the moment and we thought our presence might not do you any favors."

"It's fine, I understand," Harry said. Although he was responding to Tonks' comment, his eyes were on Lupin.

_Wishing to comfort the afflicted. You're very much your mother's son._

Lupin smiled, but as he and Tonks took their seats, the smile faded. He hoped Harry did not see it.

_Assuming the child isn't a werewolf and assuming he or she can find friends, there are other problems. Bellatrix is out for Tonks and she'll be out for a child even more. A Half-Blood half-werewolf connected to the House of Black, however distantly? Honor will demand the child die. Tonks can take care of herself, but a child would be vulnerable._

He looked over to her.

_Dearest, what have I done to you? What have I put inside you?_

Around him, silence fell. Tonks nudged him.

Music then swelled from the golden balloons as Mr. Delacour and Fleur came walking up the aisle. Lupin forced himself to watch as Fleur's aura of beauty encompassed her sister Gabrielle and Ginny, making them prettier than usual, and, as she stood beside Bill, made his scars all but disappear.

_Good for her. She can cure him of at least the outer marks._

"Ladies and gentleman," the wizarding official who had presided over Dumbledore's funeral began. "We are gathered here to celebrate the union of two faithful souls…"

Beside him, Tonks grinned. Lupin forced himself to smile.

Despite his smile, Lupin continued worrying.

_With all these negative possibilities, it might be kinder if Tonks miscarried. Even at the best of times, a child would be problematic. Right now, it would be a disaster._

He shook his head.

_No. Your holding out on her for a year stole her life and Mad-Eye's death cut her like a knife. A miscarriage would destroy her. And it's your son too, not just hers. Damn you for even thinking of that!_

For a moment, he felt more like a monster than ever before.

"Then I declare you bonded for life!"

The wizard waved his wand and silver stars fell around them. Fred and George began clapping and the applause spread from them into the audience. Tonks clapped and even hooted; Lupin, red-faced, clapped more quietly.

Above them, the golden balloons burst and birds of paradise and tiny golden bells erupted from them, adding to the noise.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the wizard official called. "If you would please stand up!"

All around them, the marquee transformed into a reception canopy, with gold spreading across the floor to form a dance floor beneath them. The guests began spreading out and pairing off. Lupin saw Bill and Fleur make their first dance as a married couple, saw Arthur dancing with Fleur's mother and Molly dancing with Fleur's father, saw Ginny dancing with Lee Jordan while Harry watched morosely.

_Leaving her was for the best, Harry. If the Death Eaters think you've had a row and aren't speaking to each other, they're less likely to try to use her as a hostage._

A white-garbed waiter appeared to his right.

"Would either of you like something to eat," he said, gesturing with the tray of sandwiches he carried.

"Yes, very much!" Tonks said, taking enough sandwiches to feed two people.

_She is essentially two people right now, after all._

"Would you like something, sir?" the waiter said.

Lupin shrugged.

"Sure," he said.

He picked a sandwich off the tray and quickly dispatched it. For the life of him, he couldn't taste whatever kind of sandwich it was.

He was so busy brooding he didn't notice the preparations for the cake-cutting until the two phoenixes that sat atop it took flight. He and Tonks took their slices and ate them, but beyond the first sensations of chocolate, Lupin's portion was tasteless.

_Bloody hell. You're so damn emotional about this you can't even enjoy this cake. The Delacours paid top dollar for this wedding — you should bloody well enjoy the food._

Even that thought depressed him. No daughter of his would ever be able to celebrate her wedding in such splendor. She'd probably end up having to wear a used dress!

A floating bottle of champagne and a pair of goblets floated into Lupin's field of vision. Tonks reached up for them.

"I think it would be prudent to avoid that," Lupin said, pulling both goblets and the floating wine away from her.

"I know," Tonks said. "But it's nice to play with. I wish we had it at our wedding."

_I wish we had a lot of things_, he thought morosely. _But we won't, and neither will our children, assuming we survive. Not only will they have a werewolf father, but they'll never have the nicest clothes, the newest Quidditch gear…_

Lupin nodded as he poured himself a glass. He drank it down in one gulp.

"Someone's thirsty," Tonks commented.

Lupin nodded, pouring himself another glass. He had already finished it halfway when he remembered what Greyback had said.

_Best not get too sloshed, even if you'd like to. Something might happen and you need to be prepared._

Lupin set the half-empty glass on a nearby table.

"C'mon," Tonks said, taking his hands. "Let's dance."

Lupin sighed.

"All right," he said.

_Perhaps this will take your mind off the whole situation._

"It's a pity we couldn't have a reception like this at our wedding," Tonks chattered. "Not that I mind the circumstances of our first dance."

Lupin smiled at the memory, a smile that, for the first time, wasn't forced.

_Yes. James and Sirius taught me some interesting dances. I remember you loved the tango, although swing gave us some problems._

Their dance had ended very much like their tickle fight, only they'd manage to get a bit closer to the bed that time.

Lupin's face fell.

_Was that the time our child was conceived?_

"Remus," Tonks said, obviously sensing his fear. "Remus, please. Try to relax."

"All right," he replied. He rather mechanically led her through one of the slower dances he knew.

_She's not made of glass_, _you know_, he chided himself.

But even though he knew intellectually neither she nor their child would be hurt by a faster dance, he felt a very great desire to be careful.

As they danced, Lupin first took notice of how late it had gotten. It was dark outside the canopy, with the light provided by floating golden lanterns.

_Thank Merlin it's not the full moon._

He'd been taking the Wolfsbane the Ministry had provided him as a "member of a paramilitary organization supporting the Ministry's objectives," but an ill-timed transformation would likely lead to the sudden reappearance of many people's dinner.

Suddenly, a large silver lynx passed through the canopy onto the dance floor. Lupin felt his heart sink.

_Kingsley's Patronus. Something's gone wrong._

The lynx landed in the middle of the dancers and spoke with Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice.

"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."


	11. War at the Wedding

**War at the Wedding**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Here is where it goes AU…

August 1st, 1997

8 PM

Silence rippled through the crowd as though the silver lynx were a pebble dropped in a pond. For a moment, nobody spoke at all.

Then all hell broke loose. People started screaming and running in all directions. Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks pulled apart, drawing their wands. Tonks opened her mouth to say something, but the sudden appearance of a Death Eater interrupted her.

"Hallo, blood traitors," the man growled. He raised his wand to point at a fleeing woman as another Death Eater, who had materialized close to Lupin, did the same.

"Protego!" Tonks and Lupin shouted at the same time. The two Death Eaters' curses bounced off the Shields and flew in opposite directions.

The two Death Eaters turned on Lupin and Tonks.

"Why if it isn't little Miss Auror and her pet," one of them hissed.

_You talk too much. Stupefy!_

Lupin's curse sent the Death Eater sprawling. Tonks evaded a Stunner and her riposte sent the Death Eater crashing through one of the poles holding up the marquee.

More and more intruders appeared beneath the marquee. Most of them were black-robed Death Eaters, but others were blue-clad Law Enforcement personnel.

_They've got to be under Imperius. There's no way they'd go along with this otherwise._

The intruders hurled Stunners en masse, incapacitating anyone they hit and forcing others to take cover.

_What are the Death Eaters doing here? The place is defended with more wards and detectors and what have you than any place in Britain. It's one of the most heavily-defended Order safe houses…_

Lupin made the connection.

_If the Burrow's defenses are down, so are the defenses of the other Order safe houses. The Death Eaters could be at Kingsley's place, at the Tonks' house, at our house…_

"Careful with them!" one Death Eater shouted to the other. "We're here for information, not blood!"

_Information? What kind of information do they want?_

Then he remembered how, before Dumbledore died, he had entrusted him with the diary of Gellert Grindelwald. It contained a wealth of information useful to a Dark Wizard intent on conquest, from how to create a prison even more difficult to escape than Azkaban, how to use the Imperius Curse to control millions of Muggles through their political leaders, and even if need be how to use magic against or in conjunction with Muggle "technology." It would be a great boon to Voldemort if he could learn its secrets.

He swore and kicked himself for forgetting something so important.

_If you weren't being so bloody worried about your impending son or daughter, perhaps you wouldn't have forgotten!_

His eyes leaped onto the tableau around him. Most of the guests had gotten away. He could see Arthur, Bill, Charlie, the twins, and even Molly — he'd never seen Molly duel before and though her technique seemed rather sloppy, she was certainly fierce —fighting Death Eaters and Law Enforcement. There were still a few guests running around here and there — he spotted a Death Eater Stunning one couple just before they could Disapparate — but it was rapidly turning into a purely military skirmish.

_A skirmish we're losing_, he noted as he watched Charlie and George Weasley fall Stunned to the ground. He shook his head.

_Time to make up for my earlier oversight. Get that diary, hide it somewhere._

"Tonks," he said, sending the Death Eater who'd Stunned the two Weasleys smashing into the Burrow itself with a Blasting Curse. "We have to go."

Tonks turned away from the Death Eater she had just Petrified. One Death Eater moved to take advantage, only to be set on fire for his pains.

"Why? Not all the guests have gotten away yet."

_Good Auror you are._

Lupin searched for an excuse. He spotted a Death Eater doing something with his wand, saw a woman trying to Disapparate and failing.

"They're laying anti-Disapparition wards," he said. "If we don't get out of here soon, we'll be trapped here with them. Do you want them to keep us here for Bellatrix?"

Tonks shook her head.

"Remus, no. We can still win this…"

Quick as lightning, she turned and cast a Blasting Curse at the Death Eater laying the wards. The resulting explosion sent him tumbling away.

Lupin sighed.

_Enervate!_

Charlie and George bounced to their feet and double-Stunned a surprised Death Eater. Lupin rushed passed them and removed the anti-Disapparition wards the man Tonks hit had laid.

A stream of red lights flashed past Lupin. He looked and saw at least three Weasleys and two guests Stunned at a stroke. The Death Eaters and Law Enforcement, still numerous despite some of their number on the ground, were drawing back, used massed firepower to hammer their targets from a distance.

Tonks was still fighting. She hammered three Death Eaters down before a curse caught her in the chest.

_Thank God it wasn't lower_, Lupin thought. He barely had time to register the paternal feelings before Tonks skidded past him.

One of the Law Enforcement people began laying wards again.

_Now or never!_

He grabbed Tonks and Disapparated.

August 1st, 1997

8:10 PM

Lupin and Tonks materialized outside of their modest house. Lupin helped Tonks to her feet.

"Remus, what are we doing here?" she asked.

Lupin sighed.

"You remember that before he died, Dumbledore gave me the diary of Grindelwald? The Death Eaters are looking for information—if they can get into our house, they'll find it!"

Tonks' eyes narrowed. "Did you want us abandoning the wedding so we could come back here and get it?"

Lupin nodded.

"It would be valuable source of information, both magical and political, and if the enchantments protecting the Burrow are broken, we have to assume the enchantments protecting the other Order safe houses are down too. We need to get the diary hidden somewhere before the Death Eaters try to claim it. And if I recall correctly, you were the one who took it and hid it."

Tonks put her hands on her hips and her hair flared crimson.

"You had us abandon the Weasleys to the Death Eaters to retrieve a bloody book? Remus, have you gone mad?"

Lupin sighed.

"Dora, do you want Voldemort to get his hands on the personal papers of the man who held most of magical Europe in thrall for twelve years? A man who might have even controlled the Muggle ruler Hitler through Imperius?"

Tonks fell silent and her red hair faded into its usual bubble-gum pink.

"It's been Transfigured into a bolt and magically attached to one of the pipes under the sink," she said. "Let's get it and get out. Then we can go back to…"

Lupin did not think that wise or even possible at this point, but every second they wasted arguing meant another second Death Eaters could penetrate their home.

"All right," he said.

The two of them rushed to the front door. Lupin could not feel the presence of any magical defenses.

_They've broken the wards here too._

He stopped for a moment to use a Revealing Charm.

_Unfortunately for them, they haven't gotten into the house yet._

The two of them burst inside. Tonks immediately went to the kitchen while Lupin trailed behind, eyes alert for any possible intruders. He entered the kitchen just as Tonks darted under the sink.

"Got it," Tonks said, retrieving the bolt-that-wasn't.

"Hand it here," Lupin said. "I've got the perfect place for it. Once I've got it hidden, I'll send you a Patronus and we can plan our next…"

She tossed him the bolt. He barely had time to pocket it before thunder cracked behind them.

Lupin and Tonks whirled, wands out and Shields up, to face Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Why hello there, little Tonksie," she said, a mad gleam in her eye. "How are you and your dog doing?"


	12. Attack of the Crazed Aunt

**Attack of the Crazed Aunt**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

August 1st, 1997

8:15 PM

Bellatrix Lestrange wasted no time after her dramatic entrance. She immediately hurled two Killing Curses.

Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks dove out of the way. Above him, the kitchen sink and several cabinets exploded. The resulting eruption of water soaked Lupin and for some strange reason, he worried about how much it would cost to repair.

_Now is not the time!_

Bellatrix lunged, following up on her initial assault with more Killing Curses. A jet of green light passed just over Lupin's head, mussing his hair, while Tonks jumped out of the way of the other curse. She slipped on the wet floor and went sprawling.

Bellatrix laughed.

"Got you now!" she screamed. She went for Tonks.

_Oh no you don't! Confringo!_

Lupin's curse would have shattered her knee from behind. Quick as a snake, she spun and deflected the curse right back at Lupin. The resulting explosion caught Lupin in the gut and sent him flying. He crashed onto the kitchen table, breaking it in half and getting the wind knocked out of him.

_No!_

A fiery explosion erupted on the other side of the kitchen and Bellatrix stumbled back, swearing and cursing. Tonks followed up with a Killing Curse that narrowly missed her aunt and smashed down the kitchen door.

Lupin fired a curse at Bellatrix's leg. She managed to deflect this one, as well as another curse Tonks cast at her, but the attacks forced her backward. Lupin took the opportunity to rise to his feet.

_Confringo multis!_

A river of Blasting Curses erupted from his wand and slammed into the evil witch like an oncoming tide. Faster than Lupin believed possible, Bellatrix managed to deflect _all_ of them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw several of the deflected curses fly at Tonks, saw his wife repel all of them. The explosions of silver light nearly blinded him as all around them, the kitchen exploded.

"You first!" Bellatrix screeched, lunging for Lupin. She hurled two Killing Curses and Lupin managed to fit himself between them. Lupin retaliated with a Stunner, but she deflected that with practiced ease.

"Remus!" Tonks shouted.

Bellatrix only laughed.

"You killed my husband, you shape-shifting, beast-shagging Half-Blood," she snarled. "It's only fair that I kill yours!"

_Dora killed Rodolphus?_

Lupin barely had time to form that thought before Bellatrix was upon him. She cast another Killing Curse and Lupin dodged to the side. He attempted to hurl a Blasting Curse in reply, but Bellatrix waved her hand and sent him skidding across the kitchen floor.

Having swatted Lupin aside, Bellatrix went for Tonks.

"For the Dark Lord!" she shrieked, hurling the Killing Curse. Tonks leaped aside, dodging the Killing Curse, only to collide with a Blasting Curse hurled immediately afterward by her wicked aunt.

Tonks managed to bring her left arm to protect her torso. The silver arrow struck just above her elbow and slammed her entire arm into the center of her torso. The explosion slammed her into the wall and she slid to the ground.

Rage flooded Lupin's brain

_The hell with it all. The Ministry's in enemy hands now. Avada Kedavra!_

Lupin's Killing Curse leaped for Bellatrix Lestrange's back. She stepped aside at the last second. For a long moment, Lupin feared Tonks might get up and catch the curse in the face.

Luckily, the jet of green light exploded against the wall above his fallen wife.

Bellatrix cackled.

"Bad dog, using Unforgivable Curses! The Ministry would do to you what it did to me!"

Then she leaped forward, hurling a Killing Curse of her own. Lupin waved his hand and a chair leaped into the curse's way. The resulting explosion left splinters in his face, but at least he was still alive.

_Avada Kedavra!_

He felt the burning river of power flowing down his arm and through his wand. The jet of green light surged for Bellatrix. The evil witch neatly sidestepped the attack, which barely ruffled her dark robes.

Lupin exhaled harshly. He'd never used the Killing Curse before and the exertion required to command that magic was getting to him.

_If you tire yourself out firing curses that never hit, you'll be easy prey._

A grim smile crossed Lupin's face.

_I've got an idea. Sectumsempra!_

Lupin slashed with his wand in the manner he'd seen Snape do it. Bellatrix wasn't fast enough this time and the spell opened up her shoulder, spattering the kitchen wall with blood. The evil witch shrieked in pain.

"The little half-caste's been letting his tricks out, I see," she snarled.

_Wouldn't be the first time._

Lupin slashed again, but Bellatrix was able to Shield herself. Lupin immediately unleashed a firestorm, remembering how Tonks told him about heat buildup behind Shield Charms.

"Not going to fall for that twice!" Bellatrix shrieked. She waved her hand and the firestorm doubled back on Lupin. He reflexively Shielded himself, but he felt the heat rapidly building behind the magical barrier.

_Aguamenti!_

The magical water erupted into steam as it emerged from his wand, scalding Lupin's forearm. He gritted his teeth and kept the water coming. Enough of it was able to slam into Bellatrix, knocking her backward.

The evil witch bounced back, murder in her eyes.

"I'll make you into a rug, you filthy…"

A few feet away, Tonks dragged herself to her feet. Despite her injuries, rage burned in her dark eyes.

"Will you?" she asked, her pink hair rapidly turning red.

Bellatrix spun at the sight of her not-quite-incapacitated niece, leaving herself open for an attack from Lupin. Lupin's curse caught her in the face. Blood and teeth flew and she slewed sideways into the counter. Tonks hurled a curse of her own, catching her wicked aunt in the gut. Bellatrix hit the ground, still clutching her wand.

"This isn't over," she snarled before she Disapparated away.

The threat from Bellatrix ended — for the moment at least — Lupin turned his attention to his wife.

_She's up and walking, thank Merlin._

However, his heart sank as he got a good look at her. She was covered in blood and her left arm hung limply at her side. Lupin could see bone peeking out of a large gash near where Bellatrix's curse had struck her.

_Probably a compound fracture. Damn._

Lupin shook his head.

_I can clean up the cuts and bruises easily enough, but that arm's beyond me. And what about the baby?_

Although he still doubted the wisdom of having the child now, the possibility that the baby could be injured flooded his heart with dread. Sweat that had nothing to do with the exertions of the battle beaded on his brow.

"Dora," he said. "Dora, we need to get you to a hospital."

Tonks shook her head.

"They'll be watched. The Death Eaters will be watching."

"Probably St. Mungo's," Lupin conceded. "But there are others, smaller clinics. They'll be able to help you."

Tonks shook her head.

"I know some more advanced healing magic. I can take care of the arm…"

"Dora, the baby."

That got her attention.

"All…all right," she said. "Where?"

Lupin thought for a moment. Due to the injuries he sometimes incurred due to his condition, he had a fair bit of familiarity with the wizarding medical system.

_There's a clinic in Inverness with decent facilities and it's out of the way enough that the Death Eaters might not immediately go for it. It's worth a shot._

"Take my arm," he ordered.

Tonks obeyed. The two of them immediately Disapparated.


	13. Triage

**Triage**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

August 1st, 1997 AD

8:30 PM

Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks materialized in front of the wizarding clinic in Inverness.

Lupin immediately realized something was wrong. Instead of being all but empty, as would usually be the case this time of night, the lobby had at least a dozen people in it.

_Why so many people? Was the Death Eater takeover so violent that St. Mungo's is overflowing?_

He looked over to Tonks. She looked awfully pale and blood was trickling from the open fracture on her arm.

_She's probably going into shock._

"Come on," he said. He led her towards the door, then stopped suddenly.

"It might be prudent to change your appearance. Bellatrix and the Death Eaters will probably remember you looking like yourself, only with blond hair."

Tonks nodded. She blinked and her features flowed like wax. She had long dark hair now, green eyes, and freckles.

Lupin smiled.

"Good."

He stepped forward and opened the door into the clinic for her. She slipped inside and Lupin quickly pulled the door closed behind them.

_Merlin only knows who could be watching right now. They know we got away from the wedding and we beat Bellatrix. If they're smart, they'll keep an eye on any medical facility they can._

There was an empty seat near the door. Tonks sat down while Lupin observed the place.

There were few seats there. At least twenty people packed the waiting room, most sitting but some were laid out on the floor. Lupin perked up his ears and listened to what the people were saying.

"The Death Eaters came. I saw Andy hit by the Killing Curse. Then they blew up the street…"

"The werewolves attacked my flat. We were able to see them off, but my wife and son were beat up pretty bad. It's daytime, so they aren't infected, but…"

"You were attacked by werewolves too? Five of the filthy beasts invaded my office…"

Lupin's heart sank.

_This is what Greyback was discussing with Voldemort. The werewolves are attacking everywhere. Between them and the Death Eaters, they were able to create a big enough diversion the Ministry could be taken over._

"Dora," Lupin said. "Dora, I have to go."

"Remus," Tonks said, fear and anguish breaking through her voice. "Why? Where are you going?"

Lupin sighed.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it._

"As a werewolf, I'm always last in line. If they see you with me, they might do the same to you."

He gestured to the people who were talking about werewolf attacks in hushed tones.

"Remember the baby."

He also pulled the bolt — which was really the Transfigured diary of Gellert Grindelwald — out of his pocket.

"There's also this. Try to get into an examining room and out of sight as soon as possible. Send me a Patronus when you're done."

Tonks nodded.

Lupin turned and walked out the door.

_All right. Where to put it?_

He wanted a place where he could retrieve it at need — if the Death Eaters controlled the Ministry, the Order would need all the spells and power it could get, even if it came from the Dark Arts — but a place where the Death Eaters couldn't find it.

He decided on the Forest of Dean. He drew his wand and made the movements to Apparate.

He stopped suddenly and looked back through the glass windows at Tonks.

_Poor girl. She must be terrified._

He smiled at her. Despite her fear, she smiled back.

_Good._

Lupin Disapparated.

August 1st, 1997 AD

8:40 PM

Tonks watched Lupin go. She sank back down into the chair and sighed.

_Moody was afraid of something like this. Why in Merlin's name didn't Scrimgeour listen? Now he's dead and You-Know-Who's in control of the Ministry._

Fear erupted out of her gut and spread through her torso. Fear for her baby, who would likely be born under the rule of Voldemort. Fear for her mother and father, a blood traitor and a Mudblood respectively.

Fear for her husband, who in addition to being a despised werewolf, would be hunted as a member of the Order. Unlike her, he could not wear someone else's face for the rest of his life.

_God_, she thought, praying for the first time in awhile. _God, please keep Remus safe. Please keep us all safe._

The open fracture in her arm twinged with pain, reminding her of her more earthly problems.

She rose to her feet, ignoring the stabbing pain, and made her way to the front desk.

"Excuse me," she said.

The frazzled-looking receptionist pushed the sign-in sheet towards her.

"Please sign in and state the extent of your injuries," she said mechanically. "Please include any pertinent information."

Tonks took the quill in her right hand — she was left-handed but didn't think she should put any more stress on her left arm — and wrote a brief description of her injuries. She hesitated at signing her name.

_If they see my name on the form, will the Death Eaters punish them for treating me?_

She pushed that thought aside. Even if the Death Eaters controlled the Ministry, it would take time for them to assert their power over every wizarding town and city in Britain. Time enough for them to destroy any record of her being there, if they felt the need.

Slowly, she wrote her real name on the form and returned it to the receptionist.

"Nymphadora Tonks," the receptionist asked.

_Oh no._

"Where's your husband?"

For a moment, she regretted allowing the _Daily Prophet_ to run their wedding announcement, even after-the-fact.

"He…had something to take care of. He'll be back soon."

The woman rolled her eyes.

"No surprise there, him being a werewolf. Probably reported in to Greyback."

Tonks opened her mouth to argue, but the receptionist cut her off.

"There've been attacks all over the country and more people are going to need to sign in. Sit down please. We'll call you when it's your turn."

Tonks nodded and returned to her seat. She slumped down, gingerly keeping her arm from bumping into anything, and swore inwardly.

_Bloody hell._

Then a terrible pain lanced across her back. Her eyes bulged.

_Oh no._

She shook her head.

_I was just in a fight for my life and got knocked around. It's probably nothing._

She deliberately inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm herself. She was an Auror, she had to stay calm, had to…

The pain lanced through her lower abdomen and tendrils of it even penetrated her thighs.

_It's probably…_

She shook her head.

_Why does it feel like I'm having menstrual cramps, if it's nothing?_

She rose from her chair and made her way to the women's loo. Ensconcing herself in a stall, she pulled up her dress and pulled down her knickers.

She was bleeding.

_I'm pregnant! I can't be having my period!_

Cold realization crept down her spine.

_Oh dear God._

She quickly put her clothes back in order and returned to the waiting room as quickly as she could. She wanted to run, to get there as quickly as possible, but she had a feeling the additional movement might make things worse. She carefully picked her way through the people lying on the floor and made her way to the desk.

"Excuse me," she began. "Excuse me, there's an emergen…"

"Ma'am," the receptionist began. "There are people ahead of you, some who have worse injuries. Please, sit down and wait your turn."

"Please," Tonks said, her fear breaking through her voice. "I'm pregnant and I'm bleeding."

The receptionist's eyes widened.

"Oh dear," she gasped. She quickly grabbed for a white-coated Healer who was walking past.

"James, she says she's pregnant and bleeding. I think we need to see her immediately."

"Hmm…" the Healer said. "Which one is she?"

The receptionist pointed to Tonks' name on the list. Fear slithered up Tonks' spine — what if he'd read the _Prophet_ too?

"Nymphadora Tonks," the doctor read. "The one who married the werewolf they caught teaching at Hogwarts?"

Tonks' heart sank.

_Oh no._

The Healer handed the papers back to the receptionist.

"Not now. I'm on my way to see someone who got their back broken by a werewolf."

The receptionist's jaw dropped.

"James, if she's ble…"

"Not now," the Healer said firmly.

"Not now?" Tonks repeated incredulously. "Sir, I'm pregnant and bleeding! If you're a Healer, you know this could be the sign of a miscarriage!"

The doctor looked right at her.

"The wives of werewolves and their spawn are not a priority right now. Sit down, please, and wait your turn."

_What?_

She knew going in she would face prejudice, but she was expecting things like people not wanting them to live in their neighborhood or not wanting their children near them.

_This…this is murder. _


	14. Resorting to Muggle Methods

**Resorting to Muggle Methods**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

August 1st, 1997 AD

8:40 PM

Nymphadora Tonks narrowed her eyes.

"Let me get this straight," she said. "I'm pregnant and bleeding — which happen to be signs of an impending miscarriage — and you're not treating me because my husband is a werewolf?"

The Healer rolled his eyes.

"If I have to choose between helping an injured witch or wizard or preventing the death of some half-beast, I'm going to help the injured witch or wizard."

A very snobby expression crossed the doctor's face.

"Someday you'll thank me for this. You won't have to look after two animals, after all."

Before Tonks could say anything, he turned on his heel and walked away.

_Oh no. No, no, NO!_

She felt beads of cold sweat beading on her hairline. She could feel her hands beginning to shake, feel the pain in her injured arm that caused. Her mind briefly retreated to the blood she'd seen on her underwear, to what was going on inside her…

"You son of a bitch!" she half-screamed after the retreating Healer. She put all her fear and anger into that shout and for a moment, she felt a little better.

She turned back to the receptionist.

"Ma'am, please. My son, he could be dying and…"

"All right," the receptionist said. "I don't think Keira is doing anything right now."

_Oh thank God. A woman Healer, she'd understand._

"Keira!" the receptionist called out. "We've got a problem!"

A blond-haired witch emerged from the back of the clinic.

"Yes?" she asked.

The reception gestured to Tonks.

"She's pregnant and bleeding."

The Healer's eyes widened.

"Oh dear," she said. "Give me that sheet."

The receptionist handed her the form Tonks had filled out. Keira looked at the information and shook her head.

"You married a werewolf?"

_Oh not again._

A drop of sweat trickled down the side of Tonks' face. She tried to quell her rising panic.

"I don't see why that's any of your business. Why does it matter?"

"Well, it could be a possible cause of your situation," the Healer replied. "Miscarriages this early are oftentimes the result of fetal abnormalities. Who knows what might result when you mix the genes of a werewolf and normal witch together…"

_Oh this is a bunch of bullshit._

"I'm an Auror and I just got in a fight with a Death Eater, who broke my arm!" Tonks half-shouted, gesturing towards her injured arm. "Genetic abnormality, hell, the test should have found that!"

The Healer shook her head.

"Miss Tonks, stop making a scene. If this is being caused by a genetic abnormality, there's nothing we can do about it. I don't know why you'd want a half-werewolf baby, anyway. It'll probably be born with fur and…"

Anger blasted away the fear and growing panic in Tonks' brain.

_She is_ not _insulting our son!_

"He will not be born with fur!" Tonks half-shouted. "He won't be born at all if we keep wasting time here and…"

Keira was turning away just like James did before her.

"Angela," she said to the receptionist, "Don't waste any more Healers' time with this one."

"Keira," Angela said. "She could be having a miscarriage…"

"It's not the clinic's job to midwife more freaks into the world."

Tonks narrowed her eyes. Her hand dropped to her wand.

_I could use Imperio if I wanted._

The notion of using an Unforgivable Curse on a civilian made her slightly queasy, but allowing her unborn child to die inside her was just as much murder as any deed done beneath the Dark Mark.

_All I've been trained in is the dueling applications of the spell. The Death Eaters and some of the older Aurors can use Imperius to keep someone under control for months, to serve as spies or saboteurs._

She decided on something a bit less chancy.

"Keira," Tonks began, a murderous edge creeping into her voice. "I'm an Auror. Do you know what I can do to you if you won't help me?"

Angela began to look rather frightened. Keira snorted.

"I don't think you'll be an Auror for much longer, if you threaten the taxpaying public like that."

_Damn it!_

"The Ministry has fallen under Death Eater control," Tonks growled. "And I'd be willing to hex your bloody face off even if it wasn't! My son could be dying!"

Pain stabbed in her back, followed by pain in her stomach.

_No!_

She barely repressed a groan. A single tear nosed out of her eye. Angela looked frightened.

"Keira, please, if you could just check her out…"

Keira shook her head.

"I'm not going to reward the temper tantrum of a woman foolish enough to marry a bloody werewolf."

She began walking away. Tonks bared her teeth and raised her wand.

_I think I'll start with Imperio. At least I can stop her from walking away. Imp…_

The doors of the clinic slammed open behind her, interrupting her train of thought.

"All right," the harsh voice of Bellatrix Lestrange demanded. "We're looking for Nymphadora Tonks. Is she here?"

_When it rains it bloody pours._

She attempted to Disapparate and found she could not.

_They laid anti-Disapparition wards prior to coming in. Clever._

Keira opened her mouth, but Tonks gestured threateningly with her wand. Keira nodded and disappeared into the rear of the clinic.

_Good. She knows I'd get her before she can finish the sentence._

Tonks resisted the urge to turn around and face her mad aunt. She didn't know how she managed to track her to the clinic in Inverness, but if James had sold her out, he'd have told her what she looked like this time and her showing her face to the Death Eaters would give her presence away.

She gestured at the wall with her wand, performing a series of hand movements that would create a mirror that would reflect everything in its gaze except her.

A portion of the beige wall behind the receptionist swirled and transformed into a silvery mirror. Tonks could see just how many Death Eaters her wicked aunt had brought to the party.

Three Death Eaters fanned out through the waiting room. Bellatrix, tall and regal, stood in the center of the waiting room and swept the room with her terrible gaze.

"She's a Metamorphmagus," she called out. "She could be any of the women here. Hell, she could be any of the men."

"How're we supposed to tell, then?" one of the Death Eaters asked.

Bellatrix grinned.

"Simple. Use the Cruciatus Curse on everyone until she shows herself."

The Death Eater fell silent.

"Ma'am, what if she isn't here? We'd be hurting these people…"

Bellatrix stabbed with her wand and the man fell screaming.

"Do not question my orders! I speak for the Dark Lord in these matters!"

_Their eyes will be on her. Now!_

Tonks spun, her movements causing a tearing pain to erupt through her injured arm. It took all her Auror training to keep her mind off the pain and on the gaggle of terrorists standing between her and the door.

_Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra! Stupefy!_

The Death Eater who had questioned Bellatrix was less hardened than the others and was probably redeemable.

Two of Tonks' curses struck home, killing two of the Death Eaters. Screams erupted as the other clinic patrons dashed for the door, some carrying those too severely wounded to walk.

Bellatrix dodged the jet of green light, which slammed into the ground perilously close to a wounded man.

"So predictable," Bellatrix laughed. "Such a goody-goody. You'd have made a poor Slytherin."

_You talk too damn much._

Tonks weaved a pattern with her wand, using the spell Lupin had taught her that served him well in the First and the Second War.

The ground opened up beneath Bellatrix and the Death Eater she had punished. Bellatrix spread her legs and neatly caught herself on the lips of the pit while the lesser Death Eater tumbled inside.

"Looks like the dog has taught its mistress some tricks!" Bellatrix called out, hurling the Killing Curse at Tonks.

Tonks dodged and the jet of green light exploded against the counter. Tonks cast another Killing Curse back and considered her options.

_Every moment I waste here is a moment my son isn't getting help._

Tonks cast another spell, this one she learned from Mad-Eye Moody. Bellatrix was good at dodging curses, but dodging this would take much more skill.

The floor of the clinic shook and began rising beneath Bellatrix.

"What?"

Bellatrix tried to drop down from her perch, only to find the ground where she landed rising up as well.

Tonks didn't stick around to watch. She ran. Her spell blocked the easy path to the front door, but there was a window in the women's loo big enough to climb out of.

"Get back here, you trollop!" Bellatrix shrieked behind her. Tonks jumped sideways instinctively, barely avoiding another Killing Curse. She rushed into the women's bathroom, the slammed the door behind her and spelled it shut. Then she blew open the window — and the entire wall that contained it — with a Blasting Curse.

Another pain lanced through her abdomen, so intense she doubled over.

"Not now, damn it!" she screamed.

She barely had time to stand again when something exploded outside the door.

_Damn it, the bitch is loose._

She laid multiple Shield Charms around the door and ran. She was ten yards away from the clinic when the Shields exploded.

"You blood traitor!" Bellatrix screamed behind her.

Tonks took that as her cue to Disapparate.

August 1st, 1997

8:52 PM

Tonks materialized in a wooded area. She quickly felt herself over.

_Good. No missing limbs._

Another stabbing pain lanced through her abdomen into her hips.

_Oh no. They're coming more frequently now._

In the distance, Tonks could hear the sound of Muggle automobiles.

_I'm in a Muggle area. Perhaps the Muggles can help me._

Her father had insisted she be as familiar with the Muggle world as he was, insisted that she not close herself off from the world her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins lived in.

_Good idea, Dad._

She Disillusioned her wand and magically attached it to her leg. Then she walked forward, out of the trees.

In front of her lay a busy Muggle street, their headlights forming a river of light against the darkness. She stepped onto the sidewalk and then another, more terrible pain slashed through her hips, forcing her to her knees. The sidewalk bit her skin, drawing blood.

"No!" she screamed.

She felt someone rushing over towards her.

"You all right?" someone — it sounded like a man — asked.

"No," Tonks gasped. "I…I was in an accident. I'm pregnant. I…I think I might be losing my baby!"

The man swore.

"There's a hospital right there," the man said. "C'mon, I'll take you there."

He reached down, grabbing for her left arm to pull her to her feet. His touch sent a river of pain flowing into her torso.

"No," Tonks gasped. "Other arm. That one's broken."

"Sorry," the man said. He stepped over and pulled her to her feet by her other arm. The pain lanced through her body again, but the man was able to keep her from falling.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

Tonks nodded. She let the man guide her down the sidewalk and into what looked like a hospital waiting room.

_Oh thank God._

"Oi!" the man shouted. "This woman's been in an accident!"

A woman came out from behind the receptionist's desk.

"What are her injuries?" she asked.

"She said her arm was broken…"

"I'm pregnant," Tonks gasped, her exertions beginning to get to her. "And I'm bleeding."

The woman paled and rushed away. A moment later, two orderlies arrived with a gurney.

"Careful," the receptionist said. "She said her arm's broken."

The orderlies helped Tonks onto the gurney. Almost as soon as she was on her back, darkness claimed her…


	15. Ordeal

**Ordeal**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

August 1st, 1997 AD

9 PM

Nymphadora Tonks moaned as she fought her way free of the blackness. Spears of light stabbed through her slitted eyes.

She was immediately aware that her dress was hiked up to well above her waist and her knickers were gone. Someone was between her legs, far too close…

Fear erupted throughout her entire body. The Death Eaters had her and they were raping her!

She grabbed for the invisible wand she had attached to her leg, the wand the Death Eaters had surely missed. Something was wrong with her left arm, it wouldn't move, so she grabbed with her right.

A hand caught her wrist just as she was about to get a grip on the wand.

"Ma'am, please," a gentle woman's voice said. "They're conducting an examination. They're checking on your baby."

"Finishing that up now," a rougher, male voice said. The person between her legs stepped back. "Her cervix is open and her bleeding is worse."

Panic raced through her brain.

_Bleeding? Worse?_

"Wha…what's going on?" Tonks asked. She had to force the words out.

"Shhh," the woman said soothingly. "It'll be all right. It will be over soon."

"Ma'am," the man asked. "We want to do a D&C to take care of this now and prevent infection, do we have you permission?"

_What's a D&C? Is it something that will help my baby?_

"Yes," Tonks gasped. "Whatever you have do to do."

"Got it."

Someone clamped a clear plastic mask over her face.

_What are they doing?_

"Just breathe," the woman said. "Breathe deeply."

Tonks inhaled. The darkness, which had been held at bay only temporarily, rushed forward and swallowed her completely.

August 2nd, 1997 AD

8:30 AM

Tonks opened her eyes. The room slowly faded into view. She instinctively shifted a bit, cuddling against her husband, the father of their son…

Who wasn't there. This wasn't her bed.

Tonks immediately grabbed under her pillow for her wand. It wasn't there…

"Looking for something?" a Muggle nurse asked.

_Crap. I've got to explain just what's going on without breaking the Statute for Secrecy._

She wasn't able to say anything before the nurse shook her head.

"Poor dear," she said. "How are you feeling?"

The nurse's query made her suddenly aware of the dull ache in her abdomen, hips, and sex. She looked down, but she was wearing a teal Muggle hospital gown and couldn't see the immediate source of the problem.

She gestured towards her midsection.

"It hurts," she rasped. The sound of her voice surprised her.

"I'll get you some water," the nurse said. She stepped over to the bathroom and returned with a cup. "Drink this," she said.

Tonks gulped the water down.

"What's going on?" she asked, voice clearer. "Where am I?"

Before the nurse could open her mouth, Tonks remembered.

Her aunt, laughing and hurling curses. Lupin leaving her at the clinic, slipping away to dispose of the evil diary Dumbledore had given him. The doctors' refusal to treat her, her aunt returning with reinforcements. Apparating away, the pain growing worse and worse. Darkness, then the Muggle doctors and their examination...

_My baby. My baby!_

"Is…is my baby all right? The last thing I can remember is something called a D&C."

The nurse shook her head.

"D&C stands for 'Dilation and Curettage.' You were too far gone when we got you."

The nurse stepped closer to Tonks and gently touched her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Miss Tonks, but we weren't able to save your child."

_What? I know the Muggles aren't as advanced as us in some areas, but it would have been a simple…_

The images of her and her husband playing with their son, feeding him and teaching him to walk and talk flashed through her mind. Those images crumbled beneath the realization that their son was dead.

"No," Tonks gasped. Her mind grabbed for the images, but they flitted away, fleeing before brutal reality.

Then the tears came. The nurse knelt beside her and took her in her arms as her cries grew to hard, racking sobs.

"There, there," the nurse said, stroking her back. "It will be all right."

"No," Tonks moaned. "No, it won't, it can't be, he's won…"

"I don't know who you're talking about, but the majority of women who have a miscarriage…"

_That horrible word!_

Tonks' tears intensified. The nurse paused for a moment, letting Tonks cry, before speaking again.

"Most women who miscarry will be able to get pregnant again. Don't worry, miss. Someday you'll be able to have a healthy baby and this will just be a bad memory."

Her words had little effect on Tonks.

_My baby's gone. My baby's gone._

Tonks cried until she had little energy left for crying. The nurse gave her one final pat and pulled away from her.

"I think you need to get some rest now. The police will be in soon to hear about your accident and you need your strength."

Tonks' Auror training kicked in at the mention of 'police.'

_Oh no. Now Muggles are getting involved and I can't contact the Ministry or else I'll bring the Death Eaters down on them!_

She waited until the nurse was gone. Then she reached down with her left arm…

It didn't move like it should. She looked over and saw a white cast encasing her upper arm. She remembered catching the Blasting Curse on her shoulder, feeling the bone tearing through muscle and skin…

_That will require more advanced magic to heal._

She reached down with her right arm and pulled her wand free.

_It wouldn't do to have someone notice me out of bed._

She slowly pivoted her wand and the door moved with it. She waited until the door was closed before scrambling out of bed. The pain in her abdomen and hips intensified for a moment, but she quickly cast a pain-relieving spell.

_Where're my clothes?_

She knew this was a stupid thing to be concerned about, but she didn't want to go Apparating about in just a hospital gown. She looked in the small closet and couldn't find anything.

_Damn it. Where could they have gone?_

She looked in a nearby chest of drawers. She opened one drawer.

_Nothing._

She opened another drawer.

_Nothing._

She opened another drawer.

_Finally._

Her dress and underwear were neatly folded in the top drawer. She quickly shed her hospital gown and pulled her clothes out of the drawer.

She remembered how the whole crisis began, with blood on her underwear.

_I wonder if it's still there, if I saw it while I was putting it on._

Her eyes began to tear up again. She fiercely shook her head.

_Keep it together! You don't have time to cry anymore._

Keeping her eyes locked on the chest of drawers, she put on her clothes as best she could with only limited function in one arm.

Then she then began the movements to cast her Patronus.

_Expecto Patro—_

Then she realized creating a magical shiny werewolf in the middle of a Muggle hospital was a bad idea.

_All right. Apparate somewhere isolated and see if you can get in touch with Remus, Mum or Dad, or Kingsley. Then see what you can do._

She set the wand aside for the moment and picked up the discarded hospital gown.

_These Muggles were so kind, better than my own people. It's the least I can do._

She set the gown on the bed, then Disapparated.

August 2nd, 1997 AD

8:45 AM

Tonks materialized in the midst of a forest. She looked around her. Nobody was there.

_Good. No inconvenient witnesses._

She began making the movements again.

_Remus. I had to go to a Muggle hospital. It was too late. I…_

She squeezed her eyes shut, holding back the tears.

_This is something he needs to hear in person._

She swallowed, began composing a new message.

_Remus. Am alive and safe. Where are you? Expecto Patronum!_

A silver-blue werewolf erupted from her wand and bounded away. She began making the incantations again.

_Kingsley. Am alive and safe. What's going on? Remus has hidden the diary of Grindelwald, but Bellatrix attacked twice. There were Death Eater and werewolf attacks elsewhere. Expecto Patronum!_

Another Patronus emerged from her wand. She began making the final set of incantations.

_Mum, Dad. Are you all right? Kingsley said the Ministry has fallen to the Death Eaters. I'm safe. Remus is off on Order business. Expecto Patronum!_

The last wolf bounded off. Tonks exhaled.

_Now to see who responds._

Tonks slumped down next to a tree to wait.

August 2nd, 1997 AD

9:30 AM

Something cracked. Tonks erupted to her feet, pointing her wand.

A squirrel scrambled away. Tonks exhaled in relief.

_Good. It might have been a Death Eater._

She frowned.

_It could still be a Death Eater, if any of them are unregistered Animagi._

She considered Stunning the squirrel, but it had disappeared.

She sat back down. As she waited for a response, the thoughts that had been plaguing her soon returned. She and Remus were going to have a son. A son, to run with and play Quidditch with and…

A single tear emerged from her eye. She quickly shook her head.

_Now is not the time. You're still waiting to get in contact with the Order and your family._

She summoned all of her Auror training, forcing the sadness back.

A light flashed nearby and Tonks surged to her feet again. A silver-blue bear ambled towards her. Tonks' heart leaped.

_Dad's Patronus!_

"Dora," the apparition rumbled. "Thank God you're all right. The Death Eaters came calling, but they only wanted information. Your mother and I are fine. We're managed to rebuild the wards that collapsed when the Ministry fell, so home should be safe."

Her parents were safe. All that remained was to establish contact with Remus and Kingsley.

She made the movements for another Patronus.

_Remus. Am at my parents' house. Come quickly. Expecto patronum!_

Another supernatural courier rushed away. As soon as it had left her sight, Tonks Disapparated.


	16. Be Careful What You Wish For

**Be Careful What You Wish For**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay, but this one is longer. BTW, the "Bludger to the gut" line is from a Snape story by Duj that chronicles Snape's reaction to Lupin taking up the position of DADA teacher.

August 1st, 1997 AD

8:31 PM

Remus Lupin materialized in a forest.

_Get this done quickly. Get the diary hidden. Then get back to the clinic, check on Dora and your son._

He stopped abruptly.

_Your son._

He shook his head.

_Best think about that later. Right now, you've got work to do._

He looked around, spotted a pond. His hand dove into his pocket and he pulled out the bolt that was really the diary of the Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald. He moved to throw it, hide it in the sediments at the bottom of the pond forever.

He hesitated.

_That diary is full of useful spells. Dark Magic, Light Magic, it doesn't matter — if the Death Eaters control the government, the Order of the Phoenix will need all the weapons it can get._

He drew his wand and transformed the diary back into its original form. Its brown leather bindings were soft, far too soft for a book well over 50 years old. Its original owner had intended it to last.

_There are Order members who can read German and spells that will automatically translate. We'll be able to use it._

Still, he didn't want to carry it around on his person, lest the Death Eaters find him. He set the diary on the ground and transformed it into an ebony log.

_Strange enough and big enough for me to remember, not strange enough to clue someone in to what it might really be._

He pocketed his wand, bent and grabbed hold of the log, and shoved it into the pond. The water was shallow enough that it stuck halfway out.

_I'll be able to find it again._

He rubbed his hands against each other, getting the crumbs of bark off his hands, and picked up his wand again.

_Now to get back to the clinic. Destination, determination, deliberation._

He focused on where he needed to be, but remained where he was.

_What's going on?_

His heart sank.

_Someone might have laid wards prevented someone from Apparating in or out. That could mean Death Eaters._

He decided to Apparate to another part of Inverness and get to the clinic on foot.

August 1st, 1997 AD

8:35 PM

Lupin materialized in an alleyway. He looked around him, getting his bearings, and stepped out onto Rangemore Road.

_All right_, he thought, reviewing his geography. _The clinic is at the corner of Fairfield and Attadale._

He made his way east towards Montague Road. He started out at a walk, but was soon running. He turned the corner onto Montague, ran down the street, and turned left onto Fairfield…

When he nearly collided with a group of Muggles fleeing two men in black robes and skull-masks.

_Death Eaters._

"Why, if it isn't the Order's pet werewolf," one of them drawled. For a moment, Lupin thought it was Snape.

_I hope they put the word 'irony' on your tombstone, you backstabbing traitor! Sectumsempra!_

Lupin slashed with his wand and blood erupted from the talkative Death Eater's throat. He fell with a gurgle.

The other Death Eater wasted no time. He hurled the Killing Curse and Lupin barely managed to dodge it. The jet of green light slammed into a Muggle and sent her tumbling, the light going out of her eyes.

_Two can play at that game. Avada Kedavra!_

The Death Eater dodged. Lupin's spell missed and hurled straight at a Muggle woman who was stepping out of a shop to investigate…

"Get down!" Lupin shouted.

His words seized the woman's attention. She looked right at him, looking past the jet of green light.

_No!_

She spotted the oncoming bolt of green death. She screamed and jumped backward. The jet of green light continued on, to explode against someone's car.

_Thank God._

Then the Death Eater attacked again. Lupin dodged a Killing Curse and retaliated with a Blasting Curse. The Death Eater laughed and deflected Lupin's attack.

"Come on!" he called out. "The Ministry would send you to Azkaban for what you just did anyway! It's not like you've got anything to lose!"

A grim smile crossed Lupin's face as he pondered the old expression 'be careful what you wish for.'

_There are too many innocent bystanders to risk it. But it could be fun…_

The Death Eater leaped and rolled, clearly anticipating Lupin's move. Lupin shook his head.

_Idiot._

He stabbed with his wand, not to where the Death Eater had been, but toward where he was going. The Death Eater rolled right into a bolt of silver light that struck him on the side of the head. He'd be out for awhile, if he ever woke up.

Lupin stepped over his fallen foe and rushed down the street towards the clinic.

_Hopefully they're treating her now. Hopefully our son will survive…_

He approached the clinic. His heart sank as he saw the shattered windows.

_Oh no! The Death Eaters have been here._

He spotted two black-clad figures heading towards the door. Fear warred with anger in his heart as he stepped back and out of sight.

Bellatrix Lestrange slammed the door open as she stormed out.

"She got away, that trollop," she snarled. "The Dark Lord will not be pleased."

Lupin's heart leaped in his chest.

_Dora's alive!_

Of course, if she had managed to escape, there'd be the small matter of finding her. He forced himself to pay attention to the immediate problem.

"Ma'am," another Death Eater who followed her said. "She's Half-Blood, though. If she just toes the…"

Quick as lightning, Bellatrix moved to backhand the other Death Eater. He stepped out of the way, barely.

"I have my own reasons, you weakling," she snarled. "Keep your mouth shut or I'll Cruciate you again."

"Yes ma'am," the Death Eater said quickly.

Lupin narrowed his eyes.

_Perhaps that Death Eater wouldn't mind helping frag his domineering superior?_

Lupin waited as he heard Bellatrix approach.

_Jump out, use the Killing Curse on the bitch before she can react._

Bellatrix was only a few feet away now.

_Almost there…_

Lupin leaped forward, straight into Bellatrix's path.

_Avada Kedavra!_

The jet of green light erupted from Lupin's wand. Bellatrix was so close, there was no way he could miss…

The evil witch immediately Disapparated. The jet of green light passed through where she'd been, straight at her Death Eater companion.

_Damn it! That one could have been useful!_

The man cried out in terror before the jet of green light slammed into his chest. He fell dead onto the ground.

Thunder cracked behind Lupin and he instinctively leaped aside. That saved him from Bellatrix's Killing Curse.

"Come looking for your bitch, I see?" Bellatrix asked with a laugh. "Ickle dog needs its mistress."

She laughed.

"At least you got rid of that weakling. Perhaps I'll give the little doggie a treat — a quick death!"

_You talk too much! Confringo multis!_

Lupin unleashed a barrage of silver arrows. Bellatrix deflected all of them in a storm of light, smashing down walls and sending Muggles flying.

_The Muggles! Even if by some miracle I can bring this bitch down, how many of them will die in the process?_

His wife had managed to escape. She could probably get help somewhere, without him to muck it up.

Lupin immediately Disapparated.

August 1st, 1997 AD

8:50 PM

Lupin materialized in a town he didn't immediately recognize, beneath an oak tree. He quickly looked around.

_Good. No Muggles to Obliviate._

He began making the movements to cast his Patronus.

_Dora, it's me. Where are you? Are you and the baby all right? Expecto Patronum!_

The blue-silver unicorn bounded away. Lupin exhaled for a moment.

_Nothing you can do besides wait. She'll get back to you._

Minutes passed as he waited beneath the tree. Although the adrenaline began to wear off and his body began to feel like he'd been put through a wringer, his worry kept away the temptation to close his eyes.

Then something moved out of the corner of his eye. Lupin's hand leaped up, wand ready to hex, as two men approached.

As the two men came closer, Lupin could see they wore the blue robes of Law Enforcement. He didn't lower his wand.

_If the Death Eaters control the Ministry, you might not be able to trust the DMLE. A bunch of them attacked the wedding, after all._

"Remus Lupin," one of them said. "We've been looking for you."

"Why?" Lupin asked skeptically.

"There're Death Eater attacks everywhere. Thicknesse has given us a list of people to find and bring to the Ministry, to help reinforce it against attack."

_Clever. If Kingsley hadn't gotten the warning out, many Order members would have gone straight to the Ministry and been captured or killed._

"You've got your wand, I assume you can Apparate," the man said. "Come on!"

Lupin shook his head.

"Pius Thicknesse is under the Imperius Curse," he said. "He's working for Voldemort now."

The man flinched at the mention of the name.

The other man stepped forward.

"Thicknesse also said it's possible the Death Eaters have been putting people under Imperius. He said that'd be the only thing that could get loyal people to disobey the command to defend the seat of government."

Lupin repressed the urge to roll his eyes.

_The fool._

"That is possible," Lupin said. "But if Thicknesse is under Imperius himself, don't you think he'd say something like that?"

The first Law Enforcement wizard looked at his comrade.

"Bill, could he be telling the truth?"

The second wizard shook his head.

"There are wizards at the Ministry who can break the Imperius Curse. If they refuse to come, we're to bring them to the Ministry by force."

"If you do that, you'll be delivering a member of the Order of the Phoenix into the hands of his enemies," Lupin argued. "I'm on your side."

"I don't think we should do that," the first wizard said.

"Orders are orders," the second wizard said.

_I don't have time for this._

Lupin Disapparated.

August 1st, 1997 AD

8:55 PM

Lupin materialized in a bad part of the wizarding section of Leeds.

_If they've deceived DMLE men, they'll be combing everywhere for members of the Order. It might be prudent to lie low, wait for Tonks to get back to you._

It would be best to find one of those Muggle 'hostels' that tourists used, but he didn't know where any in Leeds would be.

_Best find one of those flophouses werewolves who come into the cities looking for odd jobs sometimes use._

He remembered one of the werewolves in the colony said one of the vacant Muggle apartment complexes had been taken over by some enterprising wizards who didn't mind who stayed or what went on, provided the visitor paid.

He fingered the Galleon coin in his pocket.

_Hopefully that'll be enough for them to overlook the fact I'm obviously a werewolf._

He quickly made his way towards where he remembered the complex was. He came to a glass front door with no visible handle.

_Clever._

He waved his wand in front of the door. It popped open. Lupin stepped inside.

Almost immediately, he was confronted with a seedy-looking young wizard who had two older, larger companions.

"Looking for a place to stay?" the young man said.

One of the big men wrinkled his nose.

"He looks like a bloody werewolf," he said. "Dressed in rags, all clawed…"

"Yeah," the other one said. "Letting him in might scare the others off."

"Now, now," the seedy man said. "Let's not be prejudiced. _If_ he can pay for the privilege, that is."

Lupin sighed and pulled out his Galleon.

"I need to stay here for the night. I'll be gone tomorrow."

The seedy wizard smiled.

"That's more like it. Go to the sixth floor, find a room at least two rooms down from any one that's currently occupied. Be sure to lock the door when you turn in."

Lupin repressed the urge to shake his head at the young man's prejudice.

_It's not even the full moon._

"We've got anti-Apparition wards up, so you'll need to take the stairs."

"Thank you," Lupin said, handing the young man his coin.

August 2nd, 1997 AD

7:30 AM

Lupin managed to get a decent night's sleep, despite his worry. Although he heavily warded the room, nobody disturbed him.

_All right, _he thought_. They probably found you by deducing where your Patronus came from. Be more careful this time._

He cast his Patronus, then quickly made his way to the lobby.

"Sleep well, werewolf?" one of the big men asked. "Didn't shed on the furniture or anything?"

Lupin ignored him as he rushed out the door. He ducked into a nearby alleyway and waited.

A few minutes later, a group of Law Enforcement wizards showed up. They smashed their way into the complex and disappeared inside.

Lupin sighed.

_If they've figured out how to track our Patronuses, we won't last long._

"They're patrolling everywhere," Kingsley Shacklebolt said suddenly. Lupin jumped a foot before he recognized his friend.

"Kingsley," Lupin exclaimed. "Thank Merlin! What's going on out there?"

The black wizard frowned. He looked even more stressed than usual and Lupin could see what looked an awful lot like a bruise on the side of his head.

"They've killed Scrimgeour. Thicknesse is 'interim Minister,' pending confirmation by the Wizengamot. They're issuing orders recalling many officials of the government to London due to the emergency, where…"

"They can be put under Imperius," Lupin finished.

Shacklebolt nodded. "I've warned as many of them by Patronus as I can, but Thicknesse has got Law Enforcement personnel everywhere looking for Patronuses. The Death Eaters are attacking everywhere, giving the Ministry an excuse to keep the DMLE more active than usual. I'd say we should lie low until the Ministry lets its guard down, but the Death Eaters now know our hiding places and are ransacking them. Dedalus's house has been burned, although luckily he wasn't in it."

Lupin's heart sank.

_I hope the Tonkses are all right. Andromeda's a Slytherin, she knows how they operate. Hopefully they figured out what was going on and were able to go to ground._

"Have you heard anything from Dora?" Lupin asked.

Shacklebolt shook his head.

"Nope. I've been having trouble getting in contact with anyone other than the Weasleys…"

"How are they?" Lupin interrupted.

"They're fine," Shacklebolt said, a bit of anger creeping into his voice. "The Death Eaters detained them, looking for information on Harry, but since they didn't have any, the Death Eaters left without inflicting major damage."

_How unlike them._

"I think they're trying to make things appear as normal as possible, at least until they've consolidated their power," Shacklebolt said, apparently sensing Lupin's thought. "They can move against their enemies later."

"What about Harry?"

"We haven't been able to find him. They might have gone to the old headquarters, although I wouldn't if I were them. Snape might find it very difficult to tell anyone about it, but that wouldn't stop him from coming himself."

_I wouldn't want to tangle with Harry if I were Snivellus just now._

"Remus, I've got to go. I'll send out a Patronus to everyone soon. We can get together then and plan our counterstrike. I hope you can find Tonks."

Without further comment, Shacklebolt Disapparated.

Lupin sighed.

_We're in trouble now. I wonder how many of us survived the night?_

Something moved in the corner of Lupin's vision. He spun, wand out.

A Patronus that looked very much like a wolf ambled into the alleyway from the far end.

_Oh thank God! Dora!_

"Remus," it spoke in his wife's voice. "Am at my parents' house. Come quickly."

Lupin barely had time to register that her voice sounded unusually downcast before he Disapparated.

August 2nd, 1997 AD

9:40 AM

Lupin materialized in the backyard of the Tonks family house.

_Hopefully nobody saw her cast the Patronus. It wouldn't do to have unwelcome visitors._

He spotted the smashed-in back door and his heart sank.

_Someone's been here already, someone with bad intentions._

He rushed to the door, only to stop short. There was a subtle shimmering.

_The defenses are back up. Thank Merlin._

Lupin reached out and touched the shield. It vanished at his touch.

_Good. The wards recognize me._

As soon as he passed through the doorway, the sound of a woman weeping assaulted his ears.

_Oh Merlin! It's Dora!_

Ignoring the burnt and shattered kitchen around, Lupin rushed up the backstairs, turned the corner…

And found himself with Ted Tonks' wand jammed into his face. The older man scowled and stepped back, lowering his wand.

"It's you," he said. "High time you showed up."

"I'm sorry," Lupin said. "I had to hide something the Order had entrusted us with and when I got back to the clinic, it was crawling with Death Eaters. I managed to get in contact with Kingsley, but he didn't know where she was. I…"

"Enough," Ted said. "Follow me."

Lupin followed his father in law down the hall to the master bedroom. His eyes leaped forward to Ted and Andromeda's bed, where a weeping Nymphadora Tonks, her hair mousy brown, sat being comforted by her mother.

Andromeda spotted him first. She looked at him skeptically, but nudged her daughter. Tonks looked up and her dark eyes locked onto her husband.

"Remus!" she cried. She erupted from her mother's side like a rocket and almost knocked Lupin over with the force of her embrace.

Lupin held Tonks for a long moment as she buried her face in his shoulder. He could feel her tears soaking into his robes. An uneasy feeling began creeping up his back.

_Something is going on here._

"Dora," Lupin asked. "Dora, what happened?"

"Oh, Merlin, Remus, it was horrid," she said, words spilling out. "Soon after you left, I started getting pains and when I went into the bathroom, I was bleeding. I went to the desk, but the Healer — James was his name — wouldn't treat me. Neither would the Healer Keira."

Her words slammed into Lupin like a Bludger to the gut.

_Those bastards._

"Dear Merlin. What happened next?"

She told him. The horrible tale spilled out, each word slamming into Lupin like a fist.

_It's my fault. I should have been the older, wiser person and never married her. She'd have gotten over it, found a better man then me, and would have a healthy baby who wouldn't die of deliberate neglect…_

Anger rolled forward from the depths of his soul. He repressed it as he always did, but this wasn't another denial of a job or someone sneering at him on the street, this was something else.

_It's your fault. You shouldn't have married her. It's your…no, no it isn't._

Try as he might, he couldn't blame himself for this. It was those Healers who wouldn't treat her when the baby could have been saved, the people who didn't call the Healers on their bullshit…

_To be fair, they probably didn't know just what was going on._

The clarification pushed the darkness back, but only for a moment. It rumbled inside his chest like it did the night he and Sirius had cornered Peter…

_Peter, who we should have killed. A dead, older Peter with a missing finger could still have proven Padfoot's innocence as much as a live one would have, and he would not have been able to resurrect the Dark Lord._

The darkness pushed forward again.

_James and Keira at the Inverness Clinic. Remember those names._

He shook his head. He focused all his attention on his wife, who was still crying.

"Dora," he whispered as he stroked her. "Dora, I'm sorry."

She pulled back from him for a moment.

"Don't be sorry, Remus, it wasn't your fault. It was their fault, the bastards."

Anger darkened her face and for a moment, Lupin thought he saw shades of red in her brown hair.

Then she started crying again and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Oh, Merlin, Remus! We would have had a son!"

Grief stabbed at Lupin's heart.

_Be careful what you wish for, you old bastard. You thought it might have been better if she lost the baby and look at what it's done to her!_

Tonks was babbling now.

"Remus, do you think we should try again? I think my body can handle it, it's already…"

"Dora, Dora dear," Andromeda said. "It's best to wait."

She gently pulled her daughter away from Lupin.

"You should lie down, rest a bit," she said. "I think some Dreamless Sleep will do you well."

Andromeda looked to her husband, who nodded and left the room. Then she looked at Lupin.

_Help me get her to bed_, she mouthed.

Lupin nodded.

"Dora, I think your mum's right," Lupin said. "It would be best if you rested for awhile."

_While I get some things taken care of_, the dark voice inside him hissed.

He shook his head.

_No! That would just make things worse!_

"Remus," his wife began. "Are you all right?"

Lupin forced himself to smile.

"Don't worry about me, love," he said.

Tonks looked up at him.

"Stay with me, please," she said.

Lupin nodded.

"Come along you two," Andromeda said.

The two of them got Tonks to her old bedroom — Lupin figured the familiarity might be a comfort — and got her to lie down. Ted showed up a few minutes later with the Dreamless Sleep Potion. Lupin sat next to her as she drank it and she was asleep within minutes.

Andromeda tucked her daughter in and kissed her on the forehead. Ted did the same and, as did Lupin.

Then he turned and made his way towards the stairs

"Where are you going?" Andromeda asked. She didn't sound as skeptical and harsh as her husband had been earlier, but Lupin could sense it in her voice.

_You promised her daughter you would stay._

Lupin turned to face her.

"You'll know when you read the _Prophet_ tomorrow."


	17. Vengeance Is Mine

**Vengeance is Mine**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

August 2nd, 1997 AD

10 AM

Remus Lupin materialized in an alley in Muggle Inverness, murder on his mind.

_All right_, he thought. _Disillusion yourself. Go to the clinic. Kill Healer James and Healer Keira. Get back to Tonks. With luck, she'll still be asleep when you return._

He swept his wand down the length of his body, making himself invisible. Once he was sure he could not be seen, he stepped out of the alleyway into the crowded Muggle street. He set off towards the clinic, the darkness within him clamoring for vengeance.

August 2nd, 1997 AD

10:05 AM

Lupin knew something had gone wrong when he opened the door of the clinic and instead of being frightened by a door opening by itself, the few denizens of the hastily-rebuilt waiting room began muttering about a werewolf.

He looked down. He could see himself.

_Damn it. They must have set up some kind of security measure that removes concealment._

Lupin shook his head.

_The best laid plans of mice and men do often go awry. Justice still needs to be done._

Lupin approached the receptionist's desk.

"Excuse me," he said politely. "I am interested in scheduling an appointment with Healer James or Healer Keira. Are either of them here?"

The receptionist looked a little uneasy. Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"They're here, sir," she said quickly. "Healer Keira is with a patient, but Healer James should be available. May I ask why you'd like to see them?"

Lupin barely repressed the urge to slug the woman.

_Remember what Dora said. She was kind to her, even knowing who her husband was._

Then it was his turn to repress a smile.

_Perhaps she knows why you're here and wants to help?_

"Personal business," he said. "I'd like to discuss it only with a Healer."

"Very well," the receptionist said. She turned away from Lupin.

"James!" she called out. "A patient is here to see you."

Lupin repressed the urge to smile as he heard someone coming.

"Okay," the male Healer said as he emerged from the rear of the clinic. "Is he on the…"

The man's voice trailed off when he saw Lupin.

"Mr. Lupin," the man said after a moment. "Tell me, how's the wife?" There was a sneer in his voice.

_A sneer that won't be there for much longer._

"She'll recover," Lupin said flatly. "You won't."

The wolf within, the one that Greyback planted, the one that smiled at the thought of the Dementor's Kiss and the one he had long repressed, bayed for blood.

_Blood I am quite inclined to feed it. Sectumsempra!_

The Killing Curse would get the job done quickly and efficiently, but Tonks and their son had suffered and Lupin intended to repay the so-called Healer in kind.

A line of blood appeared from the man's shoulder to his opposite hip. Lupin slashed again, cutting in the opposite direction. The man screamed as blood gushed from his wounds, soaking his clothes.

Behind him, Lupin could hear shouts and people scrambling to their feet.

_Be quick, before they decide to mob you. Sectumsempra!_

His third attack slashed across the man's throat, opening both his carotid arteries and his trachea. The man sank to the floor gurgling.

_Now for Keira. Depulso!_

Lupin's spell pushed the receptionist's wheeled chair sideways, knocking her out of the way.

_Confringo!_

Lupin's spell shattered the counter. Laying a Shield Charm behind him to protect himself from any potential heroes, Lupin rushed through the gap he'd torn in the counter and into the rear of the clinic.

_Homenum revelio!_

There were three occupied rooms in the hallway ahead of him. Two had only one person in them, but one had two.

_Got you, you bitch._

Laying another Shield Charm behind him, Lupin strode towards the far end of the hall. The Healer Keira stuck her head out of the last room as he drew within ten feet. Her eyes bulged when she saw Lupin coming and she quickly retreated inside.

_Oh no you don't._

Lupin quickly made the elaborate movements to cast an Anti-Disapparition ward. She would not be escaping that way. He covered the remaining distance quickly. When he came to the examination room door, he felt it seething with magical energy.

_She's warded the door against intruders. That might work against some petty criminal like Mundungus Fletcher, but it won't work with me._

Lupin made the fierce movements needed to remove such a charm and quickly kicked the door in. Keira and her patient — an elderly man — huddled in the corner.

"I'm not here for you," Lupin said to the other man. "Could you please step aside?"

The older man spat.

"I'm not going anywhere, you beast."

Lupin gritted his teeth. When he spoke, his words came out an angry staccato.

"My wife is an Auror and was attacked by Death Eaters. She was pregnant and started bleeding. They wouldn't treat her because of what I am. My son is dead."

He fixed his eyes on the old man.

"And you call _me_ a beast?"

The man snorted.

"What she did was mercy."

Lupin saw red. For a moment, he considered adding the old man to his list of victims.

He shook his head.

_Do what you came to do. No distractions. Petrificus totalis._

The old man froze as stiff as a board. The female Healer jabbed with her wand, but Lupin was able to easily deflect her curse and Disarm her.

"You know why I'm here," Lupin said, his blue eyes boring into her terrified face.

He raised his wand, pointing it directly between her tear-filled eyes.

"Please," she begged. "I have a husband! I have a son! Don't kill me, I'm sorry!"

Lupin shook his head.

"I had a son too," he said quietly.

_Avada Kedavra!_

The Healer slumped to the floor, dead.

The dark part of him protested the woman had not suffered enough. Lupin called up all his will and managed to force the rage back down, for the moment.

_She had a son too. Do you want the boy to someday learn his mother was hacked to death and died choking her own blood?_

He turned his attention to the old man. The man glared at him but, frozen solid, could do nothing.

Lupin shook his head.

"Perhaps now you have the opportunities to engage the services of a better Healer, one who remembers her oath applies to everybody, including the children of werewolves."

He weaved a pattern with his wand, setting the enchantment binding the old man to vanish in five minutes. Then he removed the Anti-Disapparition ward he laid.

_Destination, determination, deliberation._

Lupin found he could not Disappeate.

_Uh oh._

He stepped outside the examining room. Through the shimmering Shield Charm that bisected the hallway, Lupin saw two blue-clad Law Enforcement wizards.

"There he is!" one of them shouted.

The second wizard blew down the Shield Charm with a powerful Blasting Curse. Lupin cast another Shield and raised his wand.

"I'm not here to fight you," he called out. "We have a common foe in the Dark Lord."

One of them snorted.

"A killer werewolf, fighting against You-Know-Who? That's rich."

The other one hurled a barrage of Stunners. Lupin deflected all of them and cast a pair of his own back at them. The two wizards deflected those.

_A two-on-one battle in an enclosed space, possibly with patients nearby?_

Lupin pondered trying to remove the new Anti-Disapparition ward, but barely managed to deflect another Stunner.

_There's no way to do that with these two here. Time to do this the hard way._

The wolf within him growled, eager for more bloodshed. The law would not spend a Sickle punishing the witch and wizard who allowed his unborn son to die inside his anguished wife, but would gladly spend a thousand Galleons to kill or imprison him for doing what it would not.

_This simply will not do._

Lupin deflected more Stunners and responded with a spell-pattern of his own devising. He weaved a pattern and the floor opened up beneath the two other wizards. Both men fell in and the floor began closing around them.

_Stop._

Rather than crushing or smothering the men as he would have done with Death Eaters, Lupin was content to pin them in place while he escaped.

_Expelliarmus._

That, and render them defenseless for the moment.

Lupin Summoned their wands to him and tossed them into a corner.

_Now to leave before reinforcements show up. Confringo multis!_

The storm of magical energy shattered the rear wall of the clinic. Lupin stepped through into what appeared to be a Muggle department store, ignoring the shouts and stares of the people. He walked until he could no longer feel the presence of an Anti-Disapparition ward.

_Destination, determination, deliberation._

Lupin Disapparated.


	18. Bowing to the Wolf Lord

**Bowing to the Wolf Lord**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

August 2nd, 1997 AD

10:15 AM

Remus Lupin materialized in an alleyway in wizarding Bristol and stepped out onto a street overlooking the ocean. As he emerged, he noticed people stepping away from him.

_If they knew what I just did, they'd be running, either fleeing or coming to lynch me._

He walked across the street and stood at the railing, looking out over the ocean. As his anger subsided, the guilt began.

_You committed murder_, he thought to himself.

He shook his head.

_James and Keira were the murderers. They got what they deserved, just like Peter should have years ago._

However, his conscience simply would not shut up.

_They know who did it. Whoever refrained from hating werewolves based on your example is going to lump you in with Greyback._

Lupin shook his head again.

_Fat lot of good me being so nice and mild has done for the cause of werewolf rights. In any event, now is not the time to ruminate about morality._

By killing James and Keira — however much they deserved it — he had given the Death Eater regime the excuse they needed to hunt him. The fact that the Law Enforcement men still seemed to view Voldemort as an enemy seemed to indicate the new government was not yet advertising its ideology, not yet. They would not be able to move against the Dark Lord's enemies openly for fear of tipping their hand too soon.

But now they had the perfect excuse to come after _him_.

_Sirius spent most of his time on the run in the form of a dog, taking advantage of the fact only the three of us knew he was an Animagus. I don't exactly have that option._

The Tonks family might be able to help him, but he did not want to draw the wrath of Law Enforcement down on them.

_There is one place I could…_

He shook his head.

_No. Not there._

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Lupin spun, drawing his wand. Five wizards from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement materialized around him.

"Remus Lupin," one of them said. "You are under arrest for…"

Lupin didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence.

_Confringo!_

His spell slammed into the man's face and sent him tumbling. Using his free hand, Lupin conjured a ball of flame and hurled it at the others, driving them backwards.

_Wandless magic is a right pain to do, but it comes in handy. Now they can't gang-Stun me._

Lupin leaped between two of the blue-clad wizards.

_Confringo multis!_

He unleashed a storm of silver arrows at the men's unguarded backs. The Law Enforcement wizards quickly spun, deflecting the curses. They could not stop all of them and one wizard fell to his knees, a leg shattered by his attack.

His opponents were not without skill themselves. They hurled Stunners from behind their Shields, forcing Lupin to raise a Shield of his own. The cumulative impact of the blows knocked him backward, towards the railing overlooking the sea.

_Falling from this height would not be a good idea._

Lupin spotted one of them laying an anti-Disapparition ward.

_It might be prudent to go now._

Lupin Disapparated.

August 2nd, 1997 AD

10:20 AM

Lupin materialized in the wooded area where he had left the diary of Gellert Grindelwald. The strange log was still in the pond.

_All this has happened because I wanted to make sure the diary wasn't in our house where the Death Eaters could get it. It's my fault._

He shook his head.

_Had we stayed at the wedding, they would have overwhelmed us there._

He looked down at his feet.

_Stop this. All this introspection is interfering with your ability to plan your next move._

He mulled where he could go next. The Tonkses had rebuilt the magical defenses around their home, but he did not want to give the Death Eaters and their allies an excuse to test them.

_I promised Dora I'd stay with her. Fat lot of good my word is worth._

He could go on the run like Sirius had, slipping into Gringotts periodically in disguise for gold, but his funds would run low and he and Tonks had not joined their bank accounts yet.

He swallowed.

_That leaves the werewolf colony._

Lupin Disapparated.

August 2nd, 1997 AD

10:30 AM

Lupin materialized at his usual spot and quickly made his way down the path.

_All right_, he thought as he entered the open zone surrounding the old train station. _Get to my little grotto, send a Patronus to the Tonkses warning them that my little gambit didn't work out according to plan._

A harsh, barking laugh erupted about ten feet behind him, nailing him to the ground.

"Look who's back," Fenrir Greyback laughed. "Someone's been busy."

Fear crawled up Lupin's back.

_How does he know?_

Greyback circled Lupin, walking in a deliberately leisurely pace.

"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement has gotten a bit more _cooperative_ lately," he drawled. "The Dark Lord has made sure I get all the information about werewolf activities that I need as soon as magically possible."

He smiled.

"It took you three decades, Remus, but you finally gave in to the beast."

Shame rose up within him, the shame he felt when he came to after every transformation even though he knew they were beyond his control.

"N…no," Lupin said. "I chose to kill those two. They…"

Greyback raised his hand, silencing Lupin.

"I know what they did and I'm behind you 100 percent," Greyback said. "When we take control of the wizarding world, denying medical care to the werewolf or the pregnant wife of a werewolf will be a capital offense."

Greyback smiled, revealing yellowed teeth that were altogether too sharp.

"With the meat not going to waste, of course."

The fact the monster who cursed him endorsed his actions made Lupin somewhat ill. He did not have time to linger on his feelings, though — someone was coming up behind him.

"What should we do with this one, sir?" Phillip Wolf asked. "The Dark Lord is hunting members of the Order of the Phoenix. We've got one right here. They might give us a big reward."

Greyback shook his head.

"Regardless of his naïve political positions, he's a brother werewolf and I will not sell him to the Ministry, even when it's controlled by our allies," Greyback half-growled. "Besides, he did us a big favor the other day."

Lupin's eyes widened.

_What?_

Greyback smiled.

"I knew you'd go straight to the Aurors when I told you we were planning something. If I really wanted to keep what we were doing secret, I'd have killed you or kept you locked up somewhere."

Lupin's heart sank.

_A spy you know about is an asset. You can use him to tell your enemies just what you want them to know._

Greyback laughed.

"Care to know the part you played in the Ministry's fall?"

Lupin swallowed.

_Not really. But ignorance isn't bliss. Ignorance is lethal._

For a moment, he recalled prejudice murdered his unborn son, prejudice provoked him into allowing the wolf free reign for the first time in years.

"Very well," Lupin said. "Enlighten me."

Greyback laughed.

"Law Enforcement turned out everywhere in preparation for werewolf attacks they knew were coming but didn't know where. They were spread too thinly to defeat every attack and so many of them were away from the Ministry that the Dark Lord was able to seize control in fifteen minutes."

He laughed again.

"The Muggles have a maxim 'he who tries to be strong everywhere is strong nowhere.' Looks like it applies to us too."

_Oh no. No, no, NO!_

Lupin repressed the urge to scream. Greyback laughed at Lupin's obvious discomfort.

"That brings us back to where we are right now," the older werewolf said. "You see, the Dark Lord rewards his helpers. I've been granted legal authority over all the werewolves in my pack. This means we can do pretty much what we want, provided we don't offend him too much."

Lupin's rational mind managed to emerge from the swirling sea of horror at how he had been played.

_It's a poisoned gift. Voldemort knows you'll abuse it and then he can crush you and the entire wizarding world will applaud._

"In his pack," Wolf said. "Last I checked, you had paid the tithe but you had not knelt and sworn allegiance."

More chills ran up Lupin's spine.

_They're not going to kill me. They want me as a trophy, to show off._

Greyback laughed.

"Time to choose, Remus Lupin."

Lupin looked towards the colony. The colony was ruled by a megalomaniac who was possibly a cannibal, but despite Lupin's political allegiance, the worst he'd gotten was obnoxious behavior from Wolf and some others.

He looked behind him, to the world outside the colony. Even if he was able to get away from Greyback, Wolf, and the werewolves who patrolled the roof of the train station, he would face a world that not only scorned him because of his disease but was now actively hunting for him.

_You've become a terrorist yourself, in a way_. _Not only did you finally react in violence against the world that scorned you and yours, but you unintentionally helped deliver the Ministry to Voldemort._

His knees buckled. Lupin's enraged conscience managed to slow his fall, but it could not stop it.

_I've brought this on myself. I am a beast._

Above him, the two evil werewolves laughed.

"That's a start," Greyback rumbled. "Now throw away that ring. I'm sure you can find a proper mate in the colony."

Lupin looked down at the golden ring on his left hand.

_I've brought doom on you, Dora. This is just a symbol of it._

He reached for the ring. Halfway through the motion, he stopped.

_It's the others who brought the doom on her, not me. I made a vow before God and my fellow wizards and this is not adequate cause to break it._

That was something worth fighting against Greyback for, even if the wizarding world itself wasn't.

"He's not obeying," Wolf said. "I think we need to show him the true meaning of obedience."

Someone else approached. Wolf was obviously bringing more friends to the party.

Greyback laughed.

"Stand down, boys. I've got a better idea."


	19. Burning Bridges

**Burning Bridges**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Some people have been bothered by the last couple of chapters and will likely be bothered with this one. For those who might be tempted to stop reading, please be patient. In Chapter 21, we'll see just what Lupin's long-term plan is.

August 2nd, 1997 AD

6:30 PM

"All right," Fenrir Greyback ordered the quartet of werewolves assembled for the mission. "Tonight's target is Kevin Armstrong. He's an official in Werewolf Support Services and he's a right prick."

_Yes, he is_, Remus Lupin thought morosely. _And they want me to help kill him._

He knew Greyback's plan. Force him to participate in the terror campaign to burn his bridges with the Order of the Phoenix forever. Lupin supposed he could abandon them during the raid, but then he would be a fugitive with little money and no place to go.

_Except perhaps exile_, _like Sirius after Peter escaped_, he thought. _But that would mean abandoning Dora and her family._

Assuming they'd want anything to do with him after tonight.

Greyback kept talking and Lupin forced himself to pay attention.

"Phillip Wolf is overall commander tonight," the senior werewolf said. "Remus Lupin here is second in command. The little goody-goody is finally going to get his hands dirty."

_If they weren't dirty enough._

"Andrew, Joshua," Greyback said. "You report to them."

_A two-pronged approach_, Lupin thought darkly. _Make me bloody my hands and give me honors. Bind me to him._

Greyback turned to face Lupin.

"You do this and you'll have a place here as long as it stands. I'll also see if I can call Law Enforcement off the Tonkses. Fail me, and all of you will die."

He doubted Greyback could overcome Ted Tonks, let alone Dora, but he didn't want him to even try.

Lupin nodded.

"Yes," he whispered.

Greyback raised an eyebrow.

"Yes what?"

"Yes sir."

Greyback smiled.

"Good."

Greyback turned to the others and began giving them instructions. Lupin swallowed.

_I can do this. It's to protect Dora and her family._

August 2nd, 1997 AD

6:45 PM

The quartet of werewolves materialized in the woods behind Armstrong's house.

"All right," Wolf growled. "Here's the plan. We go in there and we kill all of them. Hand to hand."

Lupin sighed.

_How typical of Greyback's followers. Sheer aggression and little subtlety._

Wolf growled.

"You got a better idea, Lupin? I suppose you'd have us abandon the mission, go offer to suck the cocks of the Order of the Phoenix."

The bigger werewolf snarled.

"Even if they accept us — which they won't — what's the use? The Dark Lord's won."

"Actually," Lupin said. "It might be better to set the roof the house on fire. Armstrong and his family will panic and come out here, where it would be easier to get to them. If we broke in, they could barricade themselves, fire on us from behind tables and the like."

_They would also have a much better chance of escaping if we make them come out here than if we corner them inside._

Wolf looked at him.

"That's a good argument. Looks like you've got your uses after all."

Wolf paused.

"But you're killing Armstrong. If you don't, I'll be sure you suffer."

_Good. If they were smart, they'd try to make me kill his wife or child rather than someone that even some members of the Order of the Phoenix detest._

The Ministry provided a dole for werewolves through Werewolf Support Services, but Armstrong was in charge of the money. His stinginess with money forced many werewolves to beg, steal, or starve and the fact some were even reduced to homelessness made them more dangerous to the general wizarding public.

_Some say it's deliberate, to reduce our numbers and make the public hate us._

"Don't worry, Phillip," Lupin said. "I can…"

"That's Wolf to you. You want to be on a first name basis, Lupin, earn it!"

Lupin nodded. Wolf nodded towards the Armstrong's house.

"It was your idea, Lupin. You do the honors."

Lupin inhaled. For a moment, he considered running.

_Where do I have to go?_

Besides, it was possible the attack could fail without the blame falling on him. Armstrong and his family might be visiting others that evening or have fled the country as a result of the upsurge in werewolf attacks.

He slowly raised his wand.

_Incendio._

A stream of fire erupted from Lupin's wand. It arced out of the trees over the Armstrong's back garden to land on the roof. It danced across the black shingles, setting them alight, and then dripped down onto the sills of the upper-story windows.

Lupin lowered his wand. Wolf growled at him.

"That little fire? Do you want them to die or not?"

"That's enough fire to force them out," Lupin said nonchalantly.

_Please, please don't be home._

Lupin's ears perked up. Inside the building, he could hear movement and cries of fear. He shook his head.

_No._

Wolf laughed.

"Good plan, Lupin," the other werewolf growled.

Lupin felt even sicker.

"All right," Wolf ordered the whole group. "Josh, Andrew, stay here and keep an eye on the back door. Signal us if they come out this way. Lupin and I will watch the front door."

He turned to Lupin.

"Follow me," he ordered before setting off.

Lupin looked down at his feet and obeyed.

The two of them circled around the Armstrong house, staying within the treeline and hopefully out of sight. They walked out of the woods onto the street and there they waited.

They did not need to tarry long. A few seconds after they got there, the front door burst open. Kevin Armstrong and his wife rushed out in their nightclothes, the latter carrying a baby.

Lupin's heart sank.

_A child. An innocent child. Just like the baby Dora and I would have had._

He killed the two Healers for their deliberate neglect, which he still viewed as murder. Tonight, he would be an accomplice to the exact same sin.

"I've heard you can lay an anti-Disapparition ward," Wolf ordered. "Do it!"

"Perhaps they don't know…"

"DO IT NOW!" Wolf snarled.

Lupin obeyed. The Armstrongs made no move to Apparate away, but it would not hurt to be cautious.

The family stopped and turned back to look at their burning house. Wolf growled.

"Now we can take them!"

Wolf loped forward, drawing his wand. Lupin followed.

"Avada Kedavra!" Wolf announced, revealing his presence. The jet of green light leaped for Mrs. Armstrong, catching her in the chest. As she toppled over, the baby fell out of her arms.

"No!" Armstrong screamed.

_Levicorpus!_

Lupin's spell caught the falling baby by the ankle. Lupin kept his wand pointed firmly at the baby, minimizing the jerking motion.

_It wouldn't do to try to save the baby and accidentally snap its neck or jar its brain inside its head._

With a terrible cry of rage, Armstrong threw himself at Wolf. Silver arrows of light burst from his wand. Wolf deflected the first two and even hurled a curse of his own, but the third caught him in the stomach and doubled him over. The fourth hit him in the top of the head and knocked him onto his behind.

Armstrong wheeled and faced Lupin.

"It seems the beast can't be tamed after all," the official said. "I wonder why you even bothered."

_I bothered because I thought it wrong to hate all of society and want to bring it down._

Armstrong hurled a curse at Lupin. Lupin deflected it. Armstrong hurled more curses and Lupin deflected those as well.

_Not an experienced fighter, this one. Not like me._

However, he could not bring himself to attack. Armstrong was an arse, but he had never killed anyone.

_Not directly at least. But how many werewolves were killed by those they tried to rob, how many starved or died of preventable illnesses because the community at large denied them jobs and the government would not help them?_

Lupin gritted his teeth.

_He might have killed hundreds with his quill. Incendio!_

Lupin attacked. He still could not bring himself to assault the other wizard directly, but he could drive him back towards the house.

Armstrong backed away, stepping over the corpse of his wife and past his floating baby. Lupin advanced, the wolf within him roused.

_This man murdered people with his prejudice and his pen. He forced werewolves to steal or starve, increasing the prejudice against us._

He remembered being turned away from eating at one of the few restaurants he could afford because they thought he'd steal the silverware. He remembered the staff at the grocery following him, assuming he would shoplift.

Armstrong suddenly leaped forward, hurling red Stunners and silver Blasting Curses. Lupin deflected all of them. One of the silver bolts ricocheted off Lupin's Shield and slammed into Armstrong's kneecap. Armstrong went down on one knee in a cruel parody of a marriage proposal.

_Best be on the safe side. Expelliarmus._

Armstrong's wand leaped away. Lupin raised his wand, pointing it at Armstrong's head. In front of him, the flames roared as the house burned and behind him, the baby screamed.

_Perhaps it recognizes the gravity of the situation._

Lupin inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled again.

"What are you waiting for?" Wolf demanded.

_Damn it. It would have been fine if he died, although I'd likely be blamed for it._

"He's at your mercy!" Wolf shouted. "Law Enforcement might be on their way! Do it!"

Lupin thought back to the sneers on the street, how people crossed to the other side to avoid him. One child had tried to be friendly to him once, only to have his mother pull him away.

Behind him, the baby screamed.

_I wonder if my son felt pain?_

Armstrong moved as though he was attacking. Lupin reacted instinctively. The official hit the ground, his neck broken and skull all but destroyed by the point-blank Blasting Curse.

_Murderer. Murderer. Murderer!_

Wolf clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good job, Lupin," the bigger werewolf said. "And good idea about that baby. Greyback'll want him."

Someone shouted in the distance. Lupin turned to see blue-robed Law Enforcement wizards approaching on brooms.

"Josh, you grab the kid!" Wolf ordered, gesturing to the floating baby.

The junior werewolf grabbed the kid and Disapparated. Andrew and Wolf did the same.

After a moment, Lupin did as well.

August 2nd, 1997 AD

7:20 PM

Wolf, Lupin, and the two other werewolves materialized at the Muggle sign and made their way down the path to the colony.

At the bottom of the path, Greyback waited.

"So, Phillip, how'd he do?" he asked.

Lupin looked at his feet, the shame almost physically forcing him down.

_Murderer. Murderer. Murderer._

Wolf laughed.

"Surprisingly well. We'll get some good use out of this one, I think."

He gestured to the baby the werewolf Joshua was carrying.

"Good little hero Lupin insisted on saving the baby. Shall we keep it?"

Greyback nodded.

"The child would make a fine hostage, I think. Whoever replaces Armstrong might be more freehanded with his galleons if he knows the price for the status quo is the child's life."

Greyback smiled.

"Or perhaps infection. Arnold and Pamela are next in line for a kid. Anyway, take the brat inside."

As the other werewolves went inside, Greyback reached over and seized Lupin by the chin. He pulled Lupin's face up and locked eyes with him.

"Let's see you go back to the Order of the Phoenix after that," he growled. "You're mine now, Remus."

_Yes. I suppose I am._

Greyback released Lupin. The younger werewolf slunk away, hating himself.

August 3rd, 1997 AD

7:15 AM

Someone rapped on the entrance to Lupin's grotto, yanking him from his uneasy dreams of fire, blood, and screaming.

He opened one eye.

_Who the bloody hell is it?_

"Mr. Lupin!" Jack called to him. "Mr. Lupin!"

Lupin sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Yes, Jack?"

"Mr. Greyback sent me to fetch you. He said it was very important."

Lupin repressed the urge to scowl.

_Greyback's using Jack. Supplying me with my very own devoted fan to pull me in deeper._

"All right," Lupin said. "Just a minute."

He pulled on his coat and adjusted his tie. He stuck his wand inside his mouth to clean the night's fur off his teeth and ran it over his face to remove the night's growth of hair.

_Best look presentable._

August 3rd, 1997 AD

7:20 AM

Lupin followed Jack down what used to be the rail line to where Greyback was holding court. The werewolf overlord's lieutenants and sycophants parted before Lupin, revealing a rather giddy Greyback.

"Good morning," the older werewolf said. "Guess who made the paper?"

Lupin's heart sank and he sighed. Greyback laughed, sounding like a cruel old dog.

"Come take a look," he ordered.

Lupin obeyed and Greyback shoved the copy of _The Daily Prophet_ at his new henchman. Lupin took it in his hands and saw it was open to page three.

"Werewolf accused of murder," Lupin read. His eyes traveled down the page and the more he read, the sicker he felt. "Spotted later in the company of a group of werewolves associated with terrorist Fenrir Greyback. Ministry sources believe that the werewolves were returning from the murder of Kevin Armstrong, chief financial officer of Werewolf Support Services, and his wife. The body of his son Rupert was not found."

Greyback laughed.

"Let's see if the pretty pink-haired Auror will welcome you with open arms — and open legs — after she reads this."

The other werewolves laughed, adding their voices to Greyback's to create a cacophony very similar to a pack of wild dogs.

Lupin doubled over, barely repressing his rising gorge.

Greyback laughed.

"It's always like that the first time. Don't worry, my boy, it gets easier."

_Oh, Merlin. Oh, God. I am a monster now._

Rough hands seized him, pulled him upright. Greyback was looking right at him.

"You did well last night. That should be rewarded."

Greyback threw a parcel at Lupin. Hesitantly, he opened the box to see brand-new robes.

"These came from Cassandra Vine's," Greyback said. "We paid them a little visit during the takeover."

He laughed.

"We're going to be going to London sometime within the next week, to pay the powers that be our respects. As they say, dress for success."

Lupin turned away from the laughing werewolves and slunk back towards his grotto. After a few seconds, Lupin noticed that one of the other werewolves was following him.


	20. There Is Always a Choice

**There Is Always a Choice**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

August 3rd, 1997 AD

7:25 AM

Remus Lupin wheeled, raising his wand.

"What do you want?" he demanded of the werewolf who had been following him. His voice was hoarse and Lupin wondered how long it would be until he broke down completely.

The other werewolf — he looked older than Lupin, with more gray hair — raised his hands.

"I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. I'll leave that to Wolf and his boys."

Slowly, Lupin lowered his wand.

"Okay," he said. "But you're still following me."

"I know what you're going through," the other werewolf said.

"Really?" Lupin asked.

The other werewolf nodded.

"Follow me," he said.

Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

The older werewolf rolled his eyes.

"I'm not up to something. If anything were to happen to Greyback's prize, he'd kill me, and I'm not particularly interested in dying."

Lupin sighed. He really needed someone to talk to just now and he figured the older werewolf would understand better than Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"All right."

He followed the werewolf down the rusted railroad tracks into another grotto. This one had been cut directly into the concrete and looked much more elaborate than Lupin's glorified cubbyhole.

_This man has lived here for years._

The older werewolf reached up onto a shelf and pulled down an ornately-carved bowl. Lupin's eyes widened.

_It's a Pensieve!_

Pensieves were rare and expensive things. For a moment, he wondered how the werewolf could have gotten hold of it.

"Greyback gave it to me," the older werewolf said. "He thinks learning my story would be a salutary experience for werewolves prone to wavering."

_Wheels within wheels_, Lupin noted. _The old bastard is definitely trying to ensnare me._

"So you're Greyback's political officer, essentially?"

"I suppose."

The older werewolf looked straight at Lupin.

"He respects your talents, but thinks you've got a morals bug up your arse. Up until yesterday, you still acted like you owed the wider wizarding world something."

_It's called seeing the best in everyone, recognizing that not everyone is a prejudiced git. Greyback should try that sometime._

"You'd put up with far worse than you needed to over the years. You can't be blamed for what happened."

Lupin gritted his teeth.

"There is always a choice," he said. "I _chose_ to see the best in everyone and not give into my anger and resentment. I _chose_ to punish those Healers, unwise as it may have been. I _chose_ to come here."

"Maybe," Lykos. "Maybe not. Look here."

The older werewolf sat down on his bed and drew his wand from a pocket. He extracted memories from his temple and put them in the bowl.

"Come and see."

Lupin stepped forward and, slowly, lowered his face into the Pensieve.

He fell through the darkness and found himself standing in a wood. In the distance, he could see a small, middle-class home, very much like the one he had grown up in.

A stick cracked behind him and though he knew no harm could befall him within a memory, he whirled, raising his wand.

A shabby-looking boy stumbled forward, breaking sticks beneath him as he walked. Pity erupted inside Lupin's heart.

_Poor kid. Is that him, when he was a child?_

The boy continued towards the house. Behind him, Lupin turned and saw the back door of the house open. An older man, who looked rather glum, stepped out and began sweeping the path leading towards the driveway.

"Daddy!" the shabby boy called out. The man looked up, eyes like saucers, and rushed towards the boy.

"Connor!" the man shouted, wrapping his son in a big hug. "Marla, it's Connor!"

A short woman erupted out of the house and rushed towards the boy. She joined her husband in hugging him.

"Where were you? We were so worried…"

"A man came," the boy said. "A big man. He took me to his house in the woods."

The boy's mother and father paled.

"What did he do?" the father asked. There was anger in his voice.

"That night," the boy said, "He…he took me to a room with a cage. He t…tied my arm to the bars. Then he got in the cage and h…he _changed_."

"Changed?" the mother asked. "What do you mean, changed?"

Tears began trickling down the boy's cheeks.

"He turned into a wolf, a big wolf."

Though Lupin didn't think it possible, the parents paled even more. The father began shaking his son.

"Did he bite you? _Did he bite you?_"

The boy broke down completely.

"Yes!" the boy half screamed.

He pulled back the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a partially-healed bite mark.

"It hurt," he cried. "It hurt and bled and…"

His parents were backing away now, drawing their wands.

"Mummy? Daddy?" the boy asked, aware something was wrong.

"Go!" the mother hissed. "Go now! You're not our son anymore."

The boy was crying again.

"Mummy…" he said. He stepped towards them.

The mother fired a curse into the ground at her son's feet.

"Go!" the father shouted. He gestured threateningly with his own wand.

Crying, the boy turned and ran back into the woods. Despite his weakened condition, he ran for what seemed like miles. The boy then slumped against a tree and wept for several minutes.

"You see?" a voice that made the hairs rise on the back of Lupin's neck rise. "I told you this would happen. They hate our kind, all of them."

Fenrir Greyback stood there. He was younger and not so gray, but his teeth were still yellow and sharp.

Anger crossed the boy's face.

"This is your fault!" the boy snarled. He seized a rock and hurled it at Greyback.

The evil werewolf neatly stepped to the side and avoided the rock. He laughed.

"You've got spirit, boy," Greyback rumbled. "I think I'll put it to good use."

Lupin suddenly found himself back in the grotto.

"Th…that's horrible," he gasped, tears forming in his eyes. "Rejected by your own parents!"

The older werewolf nodded.

"That's when I forsook the name I was born with. I think it was Kensington or something. I'm Connor Lykos now."

He extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Remus Lupin," he said.

Slowly, Lupin shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you too," he said.

Lupin turned to go.

"One more thing," Lykos said.

He gestured to Lupin's ring.

"Forget about her. She's a rare breed — a witch who doesn't hate us — but after what happened last night, she'll spurn you."

_No. Dora wouldn't. She couldn't._

"I doubt that," Lupin said.

He made his way back to his grotto. When he got there, his heart leaped into his throat.

A blue-white Patronus that looked very much like a wolf was sitting there. It looked up with him and spoke with the voice of Nymphadora Tonks.

"Remus, it's Tonks," the Patronus said, voice laden with fear and distress. "Where are you?"


	21. Rendezvous

**Rendezvous**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

August 3rd, 1997 AD

8:15 AM

Remus Lupin waited in a clearing in the woods a mile or so from the Tonks home.

_This should be far enough away that it doesn't attract the attention of any passing Law Enforcement personnel_, Lupin thought. _I don't trust Fenrir Greyback as far as I can throw him._

A branch cracked. Lupin whirled, wand out.

"Who goes there?" he demanded.

An old woman with tightly-curled iron-gray hair wearing an incongruous outfit of blue jeans and a "Weird Sisters" shirt approached. Lupin repressed the urge to sigh in relief.

_That's one of her usual disguises and the clothes are pure Dora. But one has to be sure._

"Name a particularly amusing episode from the honeymoon of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks," Lupin said.

The old woman smiled, though it appeared a very sad smile.

"Remus Lupin felt the need to drop Nymphadora Tonks in the ocean when she'd fallen asleep in the chair. Then, after a brief interruption by Kingsley Shacklebolt's Patronus, she wore him out."

Lupin smiled.

_Definitely her._

A tear escaped the old woman's eye and the old woman's features dissolved, replaced by the familiar face of his wife. Lupin barely had time to notice her hair hung mouse-brown and limp before she had leaped onto him and held him tightly.

"Remus!" she cried. "Where've you been?"

"I assume you read the _Prophet_," he replied.

"Yes," she said. "They said you killed the Healers at the clinic, that you were in the company of Greyback's people." Her voice trailed off. "Remus, where _did_ you go?"

"The one place I was sure I could find sanctuary."

"The werewolf colony," she said, a statement rather than a question. "The _Prophet_ isn't lying, then. But with the Ministry under Death Eater control and Greyback..."

Her voice trailed away. "No," she whispered. "No, no you didn't..."

_Yes. Yes I did._

Lupin slowly nodded. Tonks pulled away from him and slumped down onto a nearby log, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Lupin felt his heart twisting inside his chest and blinked back a tear himself. He sat down and slid his arm around her. Rather than pull away as he half-feared, she buried her face in his shoulder and wept.

Then, head still buried in his shoulder, she started hitting him, pounding his chest with her left fist.

_What do I do?_

If he caught her hand, she might get even angrier. He decided to let her expend her anger and hope she didn't do significant damage.

Eventually, Tonks ran out of energy for hitting. She looked up and locked eyes with her husband. He focused on her, ignoring the ache in his chest from the pounding he'd received.

"_Why_, Remus?" she said, anger beginning to seep into her voice. "Greyback is a monster! All the problems you've had all your life, they're his fault! He bit you!"

"That he did, Dora, that he did. But he did not make the entire wizarding community other than my parents and the Order of the Phoenix turn away from me in disgust, he did not make the people I applied to for work turn me down, and he did not make the doctors refuse to treat you..."

As he rattled off the slights that he — and she — had experienced over the years, wheels began turning in his head.

_Wizarding society has treated both of us poorly, but Greyback's mad_, he thought. _But what if Greyback wasn't in charge of the werewolves? What if they could be put to better use?_

A wolf's grin momentarily crossed his face and it took him a bit longer than usual to force it away.

"Dora," he said. "Dora, I have a plan."

She looked up at him through tear-filled eyes.

"What sort of plan?" she said skeptically. "One that involves murdering people?"

The anger in her voice was getting stronger. If Lupin wasn't careful, the Auror would overcome the wife and would-be mother and he would be in for a world of hurt.

"Only the ones who deserve it," Lupin said. "Namely Fenrir Greyback and perhaps some of his lieutenants."

That would be tricky, given how he'd be closely watched as not only a newcomer but also a longtime ideological foe. If he challenged Greyback and failed, he'd get torn to pieces, and the werewolves could even come after the Tonks family in reprisal.

Tonks raised an eyebrow.

"Kill Greyback? And then what?"

_Hmm…that's a good point. Greyback is the one holding the pack together. This could require some thought._

"I don't know, Dora. If I can hold the werewolves together, we can help Harry with whatever task Dumbledore gave him before he died, perhaps ally with the Order of the Phoenix to bring the Death Eaters down."

His expression darkened for a moment.

"In exchange for certain concessions, of course."

_If the Order of the Phoenix wants an army of werewolves at their command, they'll have to earn it. It shouldn't be that difficult — if Voldemort's rule endures for long, we can tar much of the existing Ministry as collaborators if they object to abolishing the anti-werewolf laws and instituting certain helpful programs._

He shook his head.

"The problem is, Greyback united the various werewolf packs of wizarding Britain. He's all that holds them together. Even if I managed to bring him down, there's no guarantee they'd follow me. The werewolf army could simply dissolve, especially if I order them into action against the Death Eaters."

_Unless I can pin the blame on someone else, on the Death Eaters._

That matter would require further thought. He decided to change the subject, at least for the moment.

"Now enough of this," Lupin said. "How are you?"

Tonks face fell.

"I went back to our house. The place is a ruin. The Death Eaters were probably searching for that damned diary. I managed to get some of our stuff out of there and I've moved back in with Mum and Dad."

She swallowed.

"Or at least Mum. Dad's gone."

Lupin's heart sank.

"What? Why?"

Tonks handed him her copy of the _Prophet_.

"Page 3A," she said.

Lupin looked.

"The Ministry for Magic has begun investigation into the true origins of magical power," he read. "Given how magic is almost always the dominant gene, it would appear that it would only be passed on by wizards reproducing. So-called 'Muggleborns' are invited to assist the Ministry in…"

Lupin began trembling with rage and crumpled the paper in his fist. He handed it back to Tonks before he could do further damage.

"This is just the beginning," Tonks said, her tears beginning to return. "Dad knows where this is going to go. Once they come up with some bullshit theory to justify it, they're going to start rounding people up. There were Death Eaters in the neighborhood last night and he knew he'd be the first they'd come after."

_Due to his supposed seduction of the high-born Andromeda, I suppose_, Lupin thought. _The Death Eaters are going to do what the Muggles were doing in Germany, 50 years ago._

Tonks swallowed, fighting back her tears.

"How's your Mum?" Lupin asked. "If your Dad's had to go on the run, that can't be easy for her."

"She'll manage," Tonks said. "She always has. But I wouldn't go asking her how she's doing in person. She's assumed the worst about you, and she'll _kill_ you if she sees you."

She locked eyes with her husband.

"I mean it, Remus."

_She's a Black by birth. I wouldn't put it past her._

Lupin nodded.

"And Harry, Ron, and Hermione?"

Tonks shook her head.

"Nobody knows. They haven't been seen since the wedding. We've been avoiding 12 Grimmauld Place — the Death Eaters are sure to be keeping an eye on it, in hopes of catching us there. Even _if_ the enchantments keep Snape from telling anyone its location, he can still give them the general area."

Lupin sighed.

"I'll see if anyone at the colony is aware of anything. Greyback will probably think it's silly sentimentality on my part, but I don't think he cares. He's not ideologically invested in the Death Eater regime — for him, it's solely a matter of convergent aims."

Then he rose.

"Now I've got to get back to the colony. Spending too much time away will likely make the old bastard suspicious and we don't need that right now."

Tonks clung to his robes.

"Please," she whispered. "Please don't go. Not yet."

Lupin looked down at her. Their eyes locked. He remembered how he said he would stay and he didn't, instead setting off to wreak justice for their dead son.

"All right," he said.

He sat back down on the log. They held each other until the sun hung directly overhead and Lupin realized he'd been gone from the colony all morning.

_They're going to start wondering. Questions about my loyalty will threaten the plan._

He pulled himself and Tonks to their feet.

"Dora," he said. "I have to go now. They'll be wondering where I am."

Tonks was crying again.

"When will I see you again?"

"We can communicate via Patronus and arrange to meet up now and again. Provided I can avoid your dear mother, I don't think that will be that difficult."

He smiled and Tonks smiled back through her tears.


	22. Paying Respects

**Paying Respects**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note:** My short story "Lord Giovanni's Daughter" (an original fantasy piece) is in the twelfth issue of the fantasy magazine _Flashing Swords_, which is now available. Since the site eats links, you can find it by going to Amazon and searching the term "flashing swords 12." It should be the first item that comes up. Also, the comment about the crowd parting before them like the Red Sea before Moses comes from "Werewolves are not Popular Dinner Guests" by Briana Rose.

August 10th, 1997 AD

7 PM

"All right," Fenrir Greyback said. "I want all of you on your best behavior. No shenanigans, no matter how much they sneer at us or make nasty remarks about us being housebroken. There'll be plenty of time for revenge later."

Phillip Wolf, Connor Lykos, and Remus Lupin all nodded.

_This may be more difficult from some of us then for others_, Lupin thought, keeping an eye on Wolf. _He's not exactly known for his good manners or self-restraint, particularly where "humans" were concerned._

Greyback turned to Lupin.

"The Dark Lord's been informed about your…situation, so hopefully he'll be able to keep the lackeys under control. However, I'd keep an eye out just to be safe."

Lupin nodded.

"Thank you, sir."

_Hopefully I won't have to interact with Bellatrix or Peter. I might not be able to restrain myself._

The werewolf quartet made their way down the back streets of wizarding London towards the home of Augustus Rookwood, restored to the position he held during the First War now that the Death Eaters had triumphed.

_A party to celebrate the confirmation of Pius Thicknesse as Minister for Magic upon the retirement of Rufus Scrimgeour_, Lupin thought. _What rot._

The werewolves approached the front door of Rookwood's house, which was guarded by two Law Enforcement officers. One of them wrinkled his nose at the sight of the four.

"I do hope you're not here to beg," he said.

Greyback stepped forward and locked eyes with the man.

"We're guests," he growled, reaching into the pocket of his robes — brand-new robes stolen during the coup, much like Lupin's — and pulling out his invitation.

The officer examined it.

"There's no arguing taste, I suppose," he said.

The two wizards stepped aside, allowing the werewolves to enter the building.

"That piece of shit," Wolf growled as soon as the door closed behind them. "Did you get his name?"

Greyback nodded.

"Yep. Amos White. I'll have to write that down."

_He's observant_, Lupin noted. _Don't underestimate him._

The four of them made their way up the stairs to a large room where the guests had gathered. Lupin paled as he saw who one of the guests was.

_That's Lord Voldemort!_

The Dark Lord leaned casually against a table stacked with snacks of various kinds and a large punchbowl. Bellatrix Lestrange stood beside him, as did Severus Snape.

Lupin barely repressed his urge to go for his wand.

_Snape!_

The former Hogwarts professor sipped from a glass of wine and was discussing something with a man Lupin recognized as the Death Eater Yaxley.

Greyback confidently strode forward into the crowd, with Lykos, Wolf, and Lupin following behind. The crowd parted before them like the Red Sea before Moses and Lupin could hear disdainful muttering run through the crowd.

_Werewolves…beasts…dangerous…isn't that one an enemy?_

"That one's with me," Greyback growled. "Ask the Dark Lord if you disagree."

For a moment, Lupin felt guilty about his plan to kill Greyback and seize control of the werewolves from him.

_He's standing up for me, publicly, just like any member of the Order of the Phoenix would have._

He told himself that Greyback was only interested in securing his allegiance, but the man seemed genuinely concerned about the welfare of werewolves.

"Now, now, Fenrir," the Dark Lord said, detaching himself from the table and drifting towards the quartet. "There's no need to shout."

"Apologies, my Lord," Greyback said. "I tend to be a bit protective of the other members of the pack."

_He's not kneeling and kissing his robe_, Lupin noted. _As the commander of an allied force, he might not be bound by the same protocol._

"Understood," Voldemort said. The Dark Lord turned to face Lupin.

"Welcome to our little soiree, Mr. Lupin," Voldemort said, his crimson eyes locked on Lupin's. Lupin repressed the reflex to shiver beneath the Dark Lord's gaze. "Not your usual crowd, I admit. Do help yourself to the food."

The Dark Lord drifted back towards his place near the punchbowl. Greyback followed him, leaving Wolf, Lykos, and Lupin alone.

"Now what?" Lykos asked. "Something tells me we're not popular here."

"Probably not," Wolf said. "Not that that'll stop me from trying my luck with some of the girls. A lot of them are upper-class twits, more than likely, but some might fancy a roll in the hay with a bad boy."

_Something tells me that's not going to work. In any event, let's hope Bellatrix doesn't notice._

Wolf set off on his mission of would-be seduction, leaving Lykos and Lupin alone.

"I think I'll get something to eat," the older werewolf said. "Be right back."

Lykos headed over to the table with the food. Unfortunately, he tripped over a fold in the carpet halfway there, nearly colliding with Snape. The encounter resulted in wine on Snape's robes and a murderous expression on his narrow face.

_Oh no!_

Lykos had not attended Hogwarts and though Greyback had acquired a wand somewhere for him, Lupin did not think him a particularly powerful wizard. Snape, on the other hand, was a merciless master of the Dark Arts.

"Watch where you're going, _werewolf_," Snape hissed. "You might shed on me."

"Severus," Lupin interrupted. He approached his former colleague almost casually, but there was a hint of menace in his voice.

_Perhaps I'll do unto him what he did to George. See if it's possible he can be even more hideous-looking than he is now._

"Why if it isn't Professor Lupin," Snape drawled. "Tell me, how's the wife these days? Bella told me she had a bit of a spill."

Lupin's rage erupted like a volcano deep in his soul.

_That bastard! That greasy-haired, big-nosed, Voldemort-worshipping, benefactor-murdering piece of…_

Lupin swallowed his rage. They were surrounded by Death Eaters, were in the presence of the Dark Lord himself. Taking glorious revenge on Snape might deprive Voldemort of one of his most powerful lieutenants, but Lupin couldn't bring the werewolves onto the Order's side if he were dead.

"She's fine, thank you," Lupin said, forcing himself to smile.

Snape smiled back, looking even more evil than usual.

"I'm surprised she even let you off the leash long enough to come here," he said. "What would the good little Auror think about her husband consorting with Death Eaters?"

_What would she think?_

"I don't think that's any of your business, Severus," Lupin said.

Snape shrugged.

"Fine with me. Let's just hope she doesn't remember her job some night and murder you in your sleep."

Snape's smile grew wider.

"Oh that reminds me. The Dark Lord is considering making _me_ Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Lupin's jaw dropped.

_Snape as Headmaster? Ruling over the school whose Headmaster he murdered?_

Fear welled up from the depths of his being. Ginny, Luna, Neville, all of them at the mercy of Snape? Especially Neville…

Lupin's gaze drifted over to Voldemort, who was holding court with Thicknesse, Greyback, and Bellatrix.

_Best be polite._

"That keeping you busy, Severus? I'm sure you're no doubt thinking all sorts of ways to be an even bigger, more evil pain in the arse than Umbridge was."

Snape nodded.

"I suppose. I've been corresponding with Mr. Filch about reinstituting flogging as punishment. For the Gryffindors of course."

Lupin gritted his teeth.

"Why, you black-hearted, slimy, no-good…"

Snape shook his head.

"Why isn't this a case of the pot calling the kettle black? Tell me, Lupin, is this your _first_ Death Eater meeting, or have you been serving the Dark Lord all this time? I remember someone saying that Black thought _you_ were the traitor…"

Despite his epic efforts at self-restraint, Lupin's fist clenched. Snape smiled.

"You know, I'm wondering about what sort of torture methods I'll be applying to Potter if he's _foolish_ enough to show his face at Hogwarts. Umbridge's quills might be nice, but I don't want to give that harridan the flattery of imitation. Do you think the rack would be nice, or should I go all out and invest in an iron maiden?"

Snape shook his head.

"A pity his father isn't here to witness it. He sowed the dragon's teeth, after all."

_Good thing the bastard doesn't know Harry, Ron, and Hermione won't be coming back. He won't be able to get his greasy hands on them._

Before Lupin could come up with the appropriate response, someone interrupted him.

"Remus Lupin," the high, cold voice of Lord Voldemort pricked his ears. "Come here."

Fear crawled up Lupin's spine at the sound of Voldemort's command.

_He won't kill you, not in front of Greyback. Unless, of course, he no longer finds the werewolves useful…_

Slowly, Lupin approached Voldemort.

"Mr. Lupin," the Dark Lord said. "We were just discussing your dear wife."

Bellatrix smiled evilly beside her master. Greyback rolled his eyes.

"You see," Voldemort continued. "I am ordinarily a strong supporter of family values. You may have noticed how many families have served me together—the Malfoys, the Lestranges, even the Blacks."

_Not all of them._

Voldemort continued.

"Under ordinary circumstances, I would have rewarded your wise decision to ally with me by calling off the hunt for Miss Tonks, but alas, circumstances prevent it."

He patted the top of Bellatrix's head. The evil woman practically shivered with glee.

"You see, before you joined us, I promised Bella the opportunity to hunt her errant niece. Not only that, but the fact that dear Nymphadora has killed Bella's husband — her own uncle, I might add — makes the situation all the more hurtful."

_What's your point?_

Voldemort locked eyes with Lupin. Anger glinted in the crimson orbs for a moment before his oily charm returned.

"My point, Mr. Lupin, is that I cannot call off the hunt for your dear wife now. Honor would forbid it."

_You have no honor._

"Unless," Voldemort continued, "Some sufficiently valuable service were done, to make me breaking my promise to dear Bella worthwhile."

Bellatrix's evil grin grew wider.

"I am under the impression," the Dark Lord said. "The old fool Albus Dumbledore had entrusted you with something quite valuable before Mr. Potter betrayed his trust."

_What?_

"Oh, you did not see the _Prophet_?" Voldemort asked. "Bellatrix, be a dear and show him."

Bellatrix laughed haughtily as she handed him the day's newspaper.

_Harry Potter wanted for questioning in the death of Albus Dumbledore_, Lupin read from the headline. _May be accompanied by the Muggleborn Hermione Granger._

No mention was made of Ron.

_Good. What they don't know can hex them if they make trouble._

He forced that thought into the recesses of his mind. He already suspected Voldemort was deploying Legilimency against him.

Instead, he decided to focus on what Voldemort wanted from him.

"You want me to give you the diary of Gellert Grindelwald," Lupin stated. "If I do this, you'll call off Bellatrix."

Voldemort nodded.

"Yes, yes I will. Lord Voldemort rewards his helpers."

The Dark Lord flicked his hand in the universal "go away" gesture.

"Now I've got something I need to discuss with Fenrir, something that's not your immediate concern."

Glad for the opportunity to get away from the evil crew, Lupin backpedaled to where he last saw Lykos.

_Greyback loyalist or not, he seems to be a decent fellow._

August 10th, 1997 AD

8 PM

The werewolf delegation left the Death Eater party. Lupin was glad to be out of the presence of the Dark Lord and his sycophants.

"Good news, boys," Greyback said as soon as they were away. "I've managed to find jobs for any werewolf that wants one."

Lykos and Wolf suddenly wheeled on their ruler.

"You have?" Lykos said. "That's wonderful. What sort of work?"

Greyback smiled.

"The Dark Lord's not strong enough in his position to openly deploy the Aurors and Law Enforcement against his enemies. However, those enemies have got to be dealt with, lest they rally opposition."

He grinned a rotten-toothed grin.

"He's got gold, the gold of the Malfoys, the Lestranges, and others. He'll put bounties out on Mudbloods, members of the Order of the Phoenix, and other 'blood traitors.' Wizard, werewolf, vampire, goblin, it doesn't matter — anyone can sign up."

_Plausible deniability_, Lupin thought. _Use this new instrument to dispose of your enemies, then dispose of the instrument and be seen as a hero._

"Is this wise?" Lupin asked. "I think he wants us to do his dirty work for him, and once we're not needed…"

Wolf swung at Lupin. Lupin jumped back, barely dodging the senior werewolf's fist.

"The old bastard's getting us jobs," Wolf growled. "That's better than anything the other wizards have done for us."

Greyback regarded both his henchmen.

"Wolf, keep your hands to yourself for now. Lupin, your opinion has been duly noted."

_Back to 'Lupin,' now? Someone's not in a good mood._

Greyback focused all his attention on Lupin.

"Come what may, we need to prove our worth to the Dark Lord in the meantime. If that means serving as his skull-crackers for awhile, so be it. We can use this as an opportunity to gain more recruits — if the Mudbloods and blood traitors get bitten, that will make them werewolves and I'm in charge of werewolves, remember?"

Lupin repressed the urge to raise an eyebrow.

_Greyback's got his own plan, it seems._

"And you need to prove yourself valuable to him. Get him that diary."

_Oh dear._


	23. Encountering Old Friends

**Encountering Old Friends**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **If you haven't ordered the 12th issue of _Flashing Swords_ yet but planned on doing so in order to read my story "Lord Giovanni's Daughter," hold off. The story was not in the issue for some reason. It has been delayed until the next issue, which hopefully will be out before Kyli and I finish this story. In any event, happy belated Easter.

August 12th, 1997 AD

10 AM

"You ready?" Fenrir Greyback asked.

Remus Lupin nodded. Greyback smiled grimly.

"Good. I'm sending Wolf, Lykos, and Albertson with you, in case you should run into trouble."

_In case the trouble comes from my former allies or from my own conscience?_ Lupin asked mentally.

Greyback clapped a hand on Lupin's shoulder.

"This is necessary, Lupin."

Lupin nodded.

"I know," he said. Forcing those words out of his mouth was like cramming a very large square peg through a very small round hole.

Greyback whistled and the three other werewolves arrived.

"Get back as soon as possible," he ordered. "I want this matter done quickly."

August 12th, 1997 AD

10:05 AM

Lupin and his allies-cum-minders materialized near the pond where he had stashed the diary.

"All right," Lupin ordered. "I transfigured the diary into that log. If I change it back immediately, it'll go straight into the water and be ruined. I'll change it back once we get it out."

The three other werewolves seized the big black log and pulled it out of the pond. They dragged it over and laid it at Lupin's feet.

_Even Wolf obeys_, Lupin observed, _although something tells me he's not enjoying it._

The evil werewolf turned and faced Lupin.

"Your turn," he half-growled.

Lupin nodded. He drew his wand and his hand danced, transforming the log back into the black leather diary of the evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald.

"Looks like we got it," the werewolf Albertson said. "Let's go."

Lupin bent down to retrieve the diary.

_All right. Put a charm on it so it dissolves into ashes or sand within two days. Make it seem very advanced, like Dumbledore's work, so Voldemort doesn't realize it was my doing._

Lupin shifted the diary into his left hand and moved to point his wand at it.

Before he could cast the spell, something CRACKED behind him. Lupin whirled.

Kingsley Shacklebolt stood there, anger plain on his dark face and wand pointed directly at Lupin's head.

"Kingsley," Lupin said easily. "What brings you here…"

"Why do you think, Remus?" the Auror asked, deep voice redolent with sadness. "What happened to Tonks has clearly unhinged you and I'm here to stop you from doing something you'll regret."

"I already regret what I'm doing," Lupin replied. Wolf growled, but Lupin ignored him. "It's necessary."

"Necessary for what?" Shacklebolt asked. "I know Bellatrix is after Tonks. Is this the price the Dark Lord is demanding to call his attack bitch off?"

Lupin nodded. Shacklebolt shook his head.

"Remus, this is an entirely different animal from killing those two Healers or even that prick Armstrong. Do you know what kind of horror the Dark Lord will do with what's in the diary?"

Lupin knew all too well what the Dark Lord could do, even without the diary.

"If Bellatrix is kept under control, it will be easier for Tonks," Lupin said. "She'll…"

"You're giving the Dark Lord very real power in return for a promise of safety for Tonks? She's an Auror, Remus, she's already on their hit list! A promise from that monster's lips is worthless and we both know it!"

_Do you think I don't know that?_

If Bellatrix was prevented even for a short time from devoting all day every day to hunting for Tonks, Tonks could operate against the Death Eaters more freely, without worrying about her crazed aunt's interference. It would be a gain for the Order, although measured against the gain for the Death Eaters…

"Oh the hell with this!" Wolf growled. He began hurling curses at Shacklebolt. Lykos and Albertson followed suite. Lupin looked down at the diary in his hands.

_If I Disapparate now, I'll have all the time I need to impose the enchantments that will let me give the diary to Voldemort without greatly amplifying his powers._

Then he saw Lykos topple over, stiff as a board. This steeled his resolve.

_I'm not going to abandon any more friends._

He rushed forward towards Lykos as Wolf stepped over the fallen werewolf to continue his attack on the Auror. The big werewolf went flying just as Lupin freed his friend.

_Don't try to tangle with an Auror alone._

Lykos scrambled away as Lupin faced Shacklebolt.

"I'm warning you, Remus," Shacklebolt said. "If killing you prevents you from taking the diary to the Dark Lord, so be it."

_He isn't calling him 'Voldemort.' Something's going on here._

"Kingsley…"

Lupin let his response trail off. There was no way he would be able to convince Shacklebolt to let him take the diary to Voldemort.

_There's only one way out of this. Stupefy!_

Lupin unleashed a series of curses at his friend. None of them would be immediately lethal and hopefully they'd do enough damage to force Shacklebolt to flee the scene.

Shacklebolt retreated before Lupin's unexpected assault, but only two steps. Then he went on the offensive, driving Lupin back towards the pond.

"Fair fights are for losers," Wolf growled. "All at once!"

Wolf leaped at Shacklebolt, followed by Albertson and Lykos. Lupin, reluctantly, threw himself into the fray.

_Perhaps he'll be able to Apparate away._

Shacklebolt backed away from the four-on-one attack, hurling the Killing Curse. Lupin danced to the side and it was Albertson who took the curse in the chest.

_There's one down. Pity it wasn't Wolf._

Shacklebolt fired another Killing Curse, narrowly missing Lykos. The older werewolf hit the ground to avoid the magical assault.

_Time to provide a distraction._

Lupin made another grab for the diary. Shacklebolt sent Lykos flying with a wave of his left hand and fired at storm of curses at Lupin and the diary.

The resulting explosion sent both Lupin and the diary flying in opposite directions. Shacklebolt immediately Summoned the diary to him, but Lupin Summoned the diary himself.

The two wizards waged a magical tug of war for the diary. Slowly but surely, the diary began to pull away from Lupin towards the black Auror.

Behind Shacklebolt, Lykos rose up and stabbed with his wand, unleashing a jet of flame. Shacklebolt spun to deal with the new threat, momentarily releasing the diary. The diary flew towards Lupin.

_Okay, grab the diary and get out of here._

Then he spotted a magical explosion, saw Lykos staggering back, barely able to stand in the face of Shacklebolt's assault.

"Kingsley!" Lupin shouted. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

The Auror quickly terminated the fight with Lykos by blasting his legs out from under him. A curse knocked the diary away just before it reached Lupin's hands and Lupin himself barely managed to deflect another curse.

Lupin held up better under the assault than Lykos did, but not by much. Within fifteen seconds, Lupin was staggering backwards under the repeated hammer-blows of Shacklebolt's attack. One curse hit with such force that Lupin dropped his wand.

"I'm sorry, Remus," Shacklebolt said. He moved to hurl a curse.

With a roar, Wolf leaped atop Shacklebolt. The black Auror flipped Wolf over his shoulder into the pond, but the curse meant for Lupin went wild, shattering a nearby tree.

_Kingsley's playing for keeps today._

Lupin hurled a curse at Shacklebolt's exposed midsection. It was a Blasting Curse — it would hurt him but it wouldn't kill him. Shacklebolt moved to Shield himself, but was not fast enough. He doubled over and Lupin took that moment to grab for the diary. His fingers touched the leather…

"No!" Shacklebolt roared. He unleashed a storm of curses.

The curse slammed into the ground, sending the diary flying and scorching Lupin's hand. Shacklebolt's dark eyes locked straight on it.

_No!_

Shacklebolt hurled a jet of flame. Gravity began to pull the diary back towards the soggy earth, straight into the heart of the firestorm.

What emerged from the inferno was a blackened tangle of scorched, unreadable paper. It slammed into the wet ground and Lupin could see water creeping into the fibers of the paper, ruining what little readable text remained.

_Perhaps I can salvage something…_

Lupin leaped for the diary. Shacklebolt cast two Blasting Curses in quick succession. Lupin managed to Shield himself against the first one, the effort stopping his forward momentum. The second curse slammed into the mangled diary, literally blowing it apart.

"Let's see what he does when he finds you were unable to retrieve his prize," Shacklebolt said.

Then he Disapparated, leaving Lupin and the other werewolves alone.

August 12th, 1997 AD

11:30 AM

"Care to know what your husband has been up to?" Shacklebolt asked.

"I know what he's up to," Nymphadora Tonks replied.

Shacklebolt raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? Do you know that he tried to retrieve the diary of Gellert Grindelwald to give to Vol — to the Dark Lord?"

That revelation hit Tonks in the gut.

_We left the wedding to ensure that diary did not fall into the hands of the Death Eaters. Our son _died_ because we made sure the diary did not fall into the hands of the Death Eaters._

"I can understand why he killed those Healers, though I cannot approve vigilantism," the black Auror continued. "I didn't much like Armstrong either, and I figured Greyback made Remus kill him in order to burn his bridges with us."

Shacklebolt narrowed his eyes.

"But actively doing the bidding of the chief enemy himself is a different matter entirely."

He shook his head.

"Tonks, it is entirely possible your husband has gone Dark."

_No. No, he couldn't go Dark. The only loyal member of the Order to ever sell out was Pettigrew and that was during the First War._

Now it was her turn to shake her head.

"I know this is hard to take…" Shacklebolt continued.

"No," Tonks interrupted. "I spoke to Remus the morning after Armstrong d…died. He said he had a plan."

"What sort of plan might that be?" Shacklebolt asked archly. "I'd love to hear it."

"He said he was going to kill Greyback, turn the werewolves against the Dark Lord, help Harry with his task."

Shacklebolt's eyes widened.

"He told you that?"

Tonks put her hands on her hips.

"As a matter of fact, he did."

"And did he say just _how_ he was going to do that?"

_No. No he didn't._

That worried Tonks. Going into something without a plan — especially something as dangerous as what Lupin proposed — was a very bad idea.

Shacklebolt shook his head.

"Let's assume for the moment that Remus hasn't bowed to the Dark Lord in his heart. In order to get himself in the proper position to pull off a coup, he'd have to give away a lot of our secrets, secrets that could get people killed."

He sighed.

"Even if he is able to bring the werewolves over to our side, most of them have never attended Hogwarts and are going to be very poor combatants. The damage he'll do to our side will outweigh the benefits, even with the best-case scenario."

He shook his head again.

"Tonks, the lesser evil is to kill Remus."

_No._

Tonks shook her head. The little bit of her hair she could see was bright red and Shacklebolt shifted, as though he were expecting a fight.

"_No_, Kingsley," she said frantically. "Remus is your friend, he made you Best Man at our wedding…"

"We're at war, Tonks," he interrupted. "I'm sorry your love has blinded you, but what Remus is doing is going to destroy us!"

"How hard would it be to make the information Remus could _potentially_ provide obsolete? Bloody hell, Kingsley, if you cast a Fidelius Charm about certain things, Remus wouldn't be able to reveal them even if he tried!"

Shacklebolt was silent for a moment.

_Let's hope he accepts it. I don't want to have to choose between my commanding officer and my husband._

"That's a good idea, Tonks."

She inwardly exhaled in relief.

"Thank you kindly," she replied.

"Pending a final decision on Remus, I will begin casting the Fidelius Charm on our remaining safe houses, caches of gold, and other vital information."

He narrowed his eyes.

"I'll contact you when I need you," he said.

Then he Disapparated.

August 12th, 1997 AD

11:45 AM

Shacklebolt materialized in the forest where he'd dueled a friend not long ago. The scattered pages of the diary lay scattered about, as though the Death Eaters and their allies had not even bothered to collect it. He sighed.

_Remus, Remus, why did you have to go and do something this_ insane?

Assuming what Lupin had told Tonks about plotting to kill Greyback was true and he hasn't gone completely over the edge, Lupin would need to prove his loyalty to Greyback and Voldemort and there would be a price to be paid for that. After all, Dumbledore had allowed Snape to betray Emmeline Vance in order to ensure his worth to the Dark Lord, not knowing the greasy git had been in the Voldemort's pocket the entire time.

And Tonks, bless her, was clearly loyal to her husband, enough to challenge the commander of the Order of the Phoenix and her superior as an Auror. Under ordinary circumstances, this would be grounds for termination if not a full-blown legal investigation.

_Unfortunately, with most of us dead and Dawlish insisting Thicknesse is the legal Minister, we can't throw away a valuable Auror who, this aberration aside, is loyal to the cause._

He'd already decided to put her shape-shifting ability to good use. Before the coup, they had used her as a spy, to follow known or suspected Death Eaters on their errands and see what they were up to.

Now, with the Ministry in enemy hands — a feat Voldemort had not managed even during the First War — it was time to be ruthless again.

_I need an effective assassin, but I don't want to alienate said assassin by killing her husband, even if that's necessary for the cause._

Figuring out a way to eliminate Lupin without alienating Tonks forever would take some thought.


	24. Punishment for Failure

**Punishment for Failure**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Bellatrix's suggestion was inspired by another grisly idea of hers from one of MrsTater's Lupin/Tonks stories, whose name escapes me at the moment.

August 13th, 1997 AD

10 AM

"Remus John Lupin," Lord Voldemort said in his high, cold voice, "I am very disappointed with you."

The Dark Lord was holding court in Augustus Rookwood's home again and the subject of discussion was Lupin's failure to retrieve the diary of Gellert Grindelwald. Lupin had been called into the presence of the Dark Lord, accompanied by Fenrir Greyback, Phillip Wolf, and Connor Lykos.

"Lord Voldemort gave you a chance to prove yourself to me by giving you a rather easy task, retrieving something that could be very useful to me from the location where you hid it. At this task, you _failed_."

"Sir…" Lupin began.

Voldemort's red eyes flashed with rage.

"You are to address me as 'my lord,' Mr. Lupin," the Dark Lord hissed. "Crucio!"

Pain erupted throughout Lupin's entire body, beginning in his limbs and pouring into his torso. He fell to the floor, trying desperately not to scream.

_Don't want to give the bastard the pleasure._

He failed.

After a long moment of agony that could have been five seconds or five hours, the pain abruptly stopped. Lupin came back to himself to find he was drooling on the expensive carpet.

_Oh dear._

"I think that's enough for now, Mr. Lupin. Get up."

Lupin dragged himself to his feet.

"Now, where were we? Oh yes, your _failure_."

He reached over and patted Bellatrix on the head.

"I offered to relieve dear Bella of her mission if you retrieved the diary for me. That, unfortunately, you were not able to manage. Until you can perform some service of equal or greater value to me, Bella will be free to prune her family tree. If I were your dear Auror wife, I would watch my back."

Voldemort smiled.

"Oh, that reminds me. I've got something here you might find very interesting."

He withdrew a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ from his robes, leafed a few pages in, and began reading.

"Dear Minister Thicknesse," he began. "I am writing you to exhort you to maintain the anti-werewolf legislation passed under Minister Fudge and maintained by Minister Scrimgeour."

_Snivellus did something similar to Harry, not that long ago. I guess evil minds think alike._

"My family has been a victim of a werewolf," Voldemort continued. "My daughter recently married a werewolf. Although my husband had his suspicions, I did not object. After all, he had good manners and a certain degree of class, even though his robes were a bit shabby.

Lupin paled. He knew Andromeda was upset with him, but upset enough to go this far, particularly when her husband and daughter were fugitives?

_Perhaps she's trying to make the best of the situation and protect her kin. One of the few Slytherin virtues._

Lupin became quite aware of his cheeks turning red.

_Being shamed by the Dark Lord himself. I was not aware this was even possible._

"She became pregnant soon after their marriage and his response to learning this was to run away. He did come back, fortunately for him, but my daughter was injured during the recent upsurge in Death Eater activity. She miscarried and his response was to commit several murders and flee to join — or possibly rejoin — the terrorist Fenrir Greyback. If this is what we can expect from the 'good werewolves,' I would hate to see the horrors unleashed if we relaxed the regulations on all of them. Sincerely, Andromeda Tonks."

Voldemort gave one of his evil smiles.

"I'm told many married men have problems with their mother-in-law," the Dark Lord said. "But it rarely makes the newspapers."

Bellatrix cackled.

"Looks like dear Andy doesn't like her daughter's choice of a husband, now does she," she said. "A pity she didn't have better taste 25 years ago or so. It would have been so much happier for everybody."

_All right. Enough is enough._

"Tell me, Lestrange," Lupin said. "Is that regret I hear? Perhaps deep down, you still love…"

Bellatrix paled, then narrowed her dark eyes in rage.

"My feelings are no concern of yours, _dog_," she hissed. "My lord, may I punish him for this…"

Voldemort shook his head.

"Not yet, Bella."

He turned to face Greyback.

"Fenrir, since Mr. Lupin has shown himself to be singularly incompetent in dealing with his former allies, I suggest easier work be found for him," Voldemort said. "Everyone rises — or sinks — to their best level of incompetence, I imagine."

"What do you have in mind, my lord?" Greyback asked.

"I think I've got an idea," Bellatrix interrupted. "Every full moon, dump him in a pit. Be sure he hasn't taken any Wolfsbane. Then we feed him prisoners. Perhaps we'll catch that brat Potter and his Mudblood whore and deal with them that way."

Lupin's heart sank.

_That would be something exceedingly clever and evil for Voldemort to do._

His eyes swept the room around him. There were easily a dozen Death Eaters in the room, not counting the Dark Lord himself, and there were most likely Anti-Disapparation jinxes laid. He'd be hard-pressed to escape the situation.

"Now Bella, let's not be unnecessarily vindictive," Voldemort said lightly. "There is a certain aesthetic value to the concept, but I have another idea."

Voldemort turned to Greyback.

"I think the Snatchers need a more skilled recruit than usual," he said. Lupin saw Greyback tense — many of the Snatchers were werewolves, finally allowed the opportunity to work for a living. "Perhaps Lupin should do a spell with them."

Greyback nodded.

"I think he would make an excellent Snatcher, my lord."

Voldemort smiled.

"I'm glad you agree. He's already alienated his mother-in-law. Perhaps he'll help find his Mudblood father-in-law?"


	25. Explanations

**Explanations**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **The idea of a pack of "free werewolves" in Germany comes from the story "Of Blood, Ice and Fire" by mercutio-rane. One of the better Lupin/Tonks stories, although the author hasn't updated in years, with only two chapters to go!

August 14th, 1997 AD

12:30 PM

"Let me get this straight," Nymphadora Tonks said, voice rising with anger and hair flaring red. "After all the trouble we went to keep Grindelwald's diary away from the Death Eaters, something that _cost our son his life_, you went back and tried to _give the bloody diary to the Dark Lord_!"

Remus Lupin's natural urge would have been to hang his head in shame, but he knew where his wife had gotten the information and he felt the urge to protest.

"Dora," Lupin said. "Dora, listen to me. Before Kingsley interrupted me, I was putting a spell on it. It would have dissolved into ashes and sand within two days…"

Tonks' eyes widened.

_I bet Kingsley didn't tell her about that. Although to be fair, I didn't tell him that's what I was doing._

"You were going to sabotage the diary? Keep the Death Eaters from getting much use out of it?"

Lupin nodded.

"Dora, did you think you really married a Death Eater?"

Tonks shook her head.

"No, Remus, no I didn't. That being said, I got a taste of the crap the world dishes out to werewolves all the time that day in the clinic, and I can understand how that might…"

"Push someone over the edge?" Lupin finished.

Tonks nodded.

Lupin sighed.

"Yes, yes it did. I didn't know what I was going to do next after I dealt with those Healers, only that enough was finally enough."

He shook his head.

"For a moment there, I was Greyback. I don't know him well, but I can understand what drives him. Most of the werewolves have it far worse than I do — they don't have 'normal' friends willing to help them out with money, don't have 'normal' wives who don't care that they're monsters."

Tonks rolled her eyes.

"Remus, stop that. You're not a monster. If you were a monster, you wouldn't feel remorse for killing those three."

She snorted.

"Not like they didn't deserve it, anyway."

Lupin sighed.

_You haven't told her just what you're doing next. That'll set her off._

"Don't tell me I'm not a monster just yet, Dora."

Tonks paled.

"W…what do you mean? Are they making you do some other horrible thing, since you weren't able to get him the diary?"

"Dora, as Kingsley told you, I'm going to have to do a lot of horrible things if I want to be in a position to implement my plan," Lupin said. "You might as well get used to it."

Tonks narrowed her eyes.

"Remus, what are you getting at?"

Lupin said.

"After Vol—"

"Don't say that," Tonks quickly interrupted.

"Why?" Lupin asked. "That's just giving into…"

Tonks shook her head.

"Kingsley said they've cast a Taboo. Every time someone says that name, the Death Eaters come calling. He had a narrow escape from a bunch of them when he said it."

_Oh my. This changes things._

"Most of the people brave enough to say his names are his enemies," Lupin observed. "That's a good way to catch them, if controlling the Ministry and its records isn't helpful enough."

Tonks nodded.

"They've caught a couple of Order members that way. Nobody we know — it was the new people, the ones who joined up after Dumbledore died."

_Most greenhorns don't live long enough to be veterans_, Lupin noted morbidly.

"Now, what's going on now?" Tonks asked.

_Damn it. Just when you thought she changed the subject._

"He— You-Know-Who — punished me with the Cruciatus Curse for failing to bring him the diary. Then he ordered Greyback to make me a Snatcher."

Tonks paled.

"A Snatcher? One of those thugs hunting for Muggleborns?"

Lupin nodded.

"Yes. Most of them are werewolves. They're glad they've got employment and they're the one's dishing out the prejudice for once."

He shook his head.

"The Dark Lord had to get his digs in, though. He said the Snatchers needed a higher-quality staff than they have now."

Lupin smiled wryly.

"I suppose that's a compliment."

Tonks' face fell.

"They're dragging you in deeper and deeper, Remus! First that arse Armstrong, then the diary, and now you're hunting Muggleborns? How soon until they brand you with the Dark Mark?"

That struck Lupin across the face like a two-by-four.

_Bit by bit, you're slowly getting sucked in._

Sirius had told him how reluctant Snape had seemed to go back to the Death Eaters. Assuming his defection during the First War wasn't a sham, it was possible he'd fallen back into his old ways bit by bit, to the point he murdered the man who saved him from Azkaban.

"Dora, I'll never take the Mark. If it comes to that, I'll abandon the whole scheme and flee to bloody France. Maybe even Germany. There's a pack of werewolves there who've told Greyback to pound sand and made it stick. I can Apparate back here to help fight the Dark Lord when necessary."

Tonks nodded. Lupin noticed undercurrents of red in her hair.

"Good. I'll hold you to that."

Silence fell.

"How's your Mum?" Lupin asked. "I saw her letter to the paper—"

Tonks rolled her eyes.

"Oh great. I was hoping you might have overlooked it."

Lupin shook his head.

"I might have, but the Dark Lord didn't. He insisted on reading it, out loud, in front of several werewolves and many of his lieutenants, including your dear aunt."

Tonks' hair turned the color of fire at the mention of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Between what happened and Dad going on the run, she's not happy these days. I can't really explain what you're up to, lest the Death Eaters kidnap her and find out. She's fiercer than most give her credit for—"

"I can tell."

Tonks smiled despite herself.

"But she's not an Auror like me or a grizzled old veteran like you. She'd be much more vulnerable. Plus if she found out we were still meeting, she'd follow me out some day and kill you."

"Even though I killed the two people responsible for the loss of her grandson?"

"She didn't mind that — it's the fact you ran off _twice_ and who you ran off _to_ that bothered her."

Lupin reddened again.

_Weakling_, he reproached himself. _Worthless, weak man._

Silence fell for a moment.

"So," Lupin said. "Anything else going on in the Order of the Phoenix that I need to know about?"

"Well, as you've probably figured out by now, Kingsley is right mad at you about the diary. I think I got him to hold off on trying to kill you again by suggesting he put vital locations — our caches of gold, our remaining safe houses, and the like — under the Fidelius Charm. I figure he'll be the Secret-Keeper, perhaps along with some of the other surviving leaders."

Lupin nodded.

_If it weren't for my reckless behavior, I'd still be counted among the surviving leaders._

"It makes sense. They'll want to limit the damage I can do to the Order by revealing information."

He looked at her.

"If Kingsley knows we've been in contact, he's not going to be happy with you," he said.

Tonks shrugged.

"Figures. But he and I are the last loyal Aurors. Dawlish has got his head up his arse as usual, thinks Thicknesse is the legal Minister and all. I don't think Kingsley's going to drop me off London Bridge stuffed in a sack."

_I'm glad._

Lupin looked at his watch.

"All right," he said. "I'm scheduled for a Snatcher patrol today in a couple of hours. I'll be sure to screw it up as much as I can without attracting undue attention."

Tonks didn't respond with words. Instead she threw herself at him and hugged him fiercely. As they embraced, he saw a flicker of pink in her brown hair again.

The last time Lupin recalled seeing that color there was when they held each other for awhile after Lupin returned from Greyback's colony. Even then, it was brief.

_Give her time. A miscarriage is a lot to take, especially if it comes on top of the death of your mentor, the fall of the government you've made a career serving, and your husband's own erratic behavior._

After a long moment, they pulled apart.

"When will I be able to see you again?" Tonks asked.

"I don't know."

_Weak and unreliable._

"How about we communicate via Patronus, weekly?" he suggested. "I'll be sure to be somewhere out of sight of the others to receive it. It couldn't be on the same day every day, though, lest people wonder where I disappear to. If Law Enforcement is still tracking them, we can use owl post."

The color faded from Tonks' hair. She nodded.

"First one tomorrow, eleven o'clock in the morning.," she said.

"Sounds good to me."

August 14th, 1997 AD

12:50 PM

Lupin materialized in front of the "No Trespassing" sign and made his way down the path to the colony.

As he passed beneath the great doors into the interior — quickening his step to pass by a pair of werewolves dragging about a distraught-looking young woman who was probably Muggleborn — he nearly collided with Connor Lykos.

"Good afternoon, Connor," Lupin said, surprised.

"You were visiting the pink-haired Auror, weren't you?" Lykos asked, quietly but bluntly.

_Oh dear._

Lykos seemed to be the decent sort, but he was loyal to Greyback and high in the evil werewolf's esteem. Plus, rejected by his own parents, he might be envious of Lupin's (relatively) happy familial situation and that could make him dangerous.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lupin said quickly.

Lykos slowly exhaled in what might have been a sigh. He pointed at Lupin's shoulder. Lupin looked down and saw a strand of pink hair.

_Oh bugger!_

"I wouldn't be too obvious about the fact you and her are still together," Lykos said. "Greyback's still not happy about what her Mum wrote in the _Prophet_. I've managed to dissuade him not to attack her for that, for now."

Lupin nodded.

"Thank you," Lupin said.

"Anything for a friend."


	26. Father in Law

**Father in Law**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

September 6th, 1997 AD

2:30 PM

Remus Lupin raised his right hand. Behind him, the trio of Snatchers under his command came to a halt.

"We're not alone," he said.

In the three weeks or so since Voldemort had forced him to work as a Snatcher, Lupin had joined the others — werewolves, mostly, as well as non-Muggleborn wizarding criminals — scouring Britain for Muggleborns, members of the Order of the Phoenix, and other "blood traitors."

Although he'd done his best to allow as many of their targets to escape as possible, he knew Voldemort and Greyback had his eye on him and probably expected him to do just that.

He still remembered the tears, the pleas for mercy as the Muggleborn fugitive he caught in wizarding Bristol was dragged away by the henchmen of the Muggleborn Registration Commission. He remembered the unnatural coldness of the presence of the Dementors used to subdue another Muggleborn the Snatchers had found hiding among Muggles in Dorset.

Greyback had slapped him on the back, praised him for doing a good job. Greyback got his cut as leader, of course, but much of the gold went to Lupin's own account at Gringott's.

_I hate myself. I hate myself._

Still, the necessity of this to bring about his plan kept him going. The gold also came in handy for other purposes — buying medicine for a couple of sick werewolves in the colony, textbooks for those who sought to improve their magical skill, wagering in the games of chance common in the colony.

_Got to generate goodwill, to set myself up as leader once I figure out a way to bring Greyback down._

But all that gold had to come from somewhere and that was why he was out in the middle of the Forest of Dean, pursuing a group of fugitives rumored to be hiding there. Not just Muggleborns, but a couple of goblins too.

They'd found a campsite about an hour before, with the ashes within the circle of stones still warm. The tracks had led out in the woods — the Ministry had helpfully laid several anti-Disapparition jinxes that covered much of the forest — and the Snatchers had been following them.

"Do you think they're hiding, hoping we'll walk right past them?" Peter Miller, one of the werewolves from the colony, asked.

Lupin shook his head.

"I doubt that. We've got Revealing Charms, after all."

He waved his wand. Nobody nearby, but the prey might have devised some kind of countercharm.

_They certainly have got incentive._

"Do you think they'll try to turn around and ambush us?" Cedric James, a common criminal, growled. "Were I them, I'd be right tired of running myself."

"Quiet," Lupin said. "Listen."

The crack of a twig was their only warning. Then a green light flashed. Lupin instinctively threw himself to the ground and the Killing Curse flew over his head to slam into a nearby tree. The resulting explosion peppered all of them with splinters, drawing blood in multiple places.

Another jet of green light flashed. This time the curse caught flesh and Miller fell dead to the ground. The others hit the dirt as well, firing curses of their own back at the attackers.

"We got one!" Ted Tonks shouted.

"Three more," another male voice said. "Bad odds."

"You're damn right, Mudblood scum," James called out. "Better run!"

"Idiot," the third Snatcher — Lupin had not even bothered to learn his name — said. "If they fight, they might lose and we'll get the gold."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about us running," the second voice said. "Ted here's got a grudge with one of you."

Lupin's heart sank.

_Oh no._

For a long moment, he hesitated, unwilling to go on the offensive against his father-in-law. However, if he wanted to become leader of the werewolf colony after Greyback, he could not afford the reputation of a military featherweight.

"Forward," Lupin said weakly. "Stunners only. They're worth more alive."

_Hopefully that'll be the best of both worlds._

James and the other Snatcher unleashed a storm of Stunners in the direction the Killing Curses had come. Lupin added his own curses to the mix, hoping not to hit anyone.

The wave of red curses stripped the leaves from some trees and shattered others. Through the haze of flying debris, Lupin got a glimpse of Ted and a man he did not recognize.

The month on the run had not been kind to Ted. His big belly had contracted noticeably and his hollow cheeks made his cheekbones look much sharper. Despite his physical decline, murder lit up his eyes when he caught sight of Lupin.

"I told you if you hurt her, I would hurt you," he half-growled. "I keep my promises."

The wolf inside him growled at this overt challenge, but Lupin restrained it.

_He doesn't know about what's happened since then._

"Ted," Lupin began.

Ted responded with another Killing Curse. Lupin dodged and hurled a Stunner of his own, narrowly missing the older man's temple.

_Best avoid head-shots. Even Stunners can kill._

"Get him!" the third Snatcher roared. He charged into the gap between two smashed trees.

"Down!" Lupin shouted. "Get down!"

The Snatcher did not listen. Seconds later, a Stunner caught him in the gut and smashed him through one of the trees, destroying it completely.

_Oh yes, it'll go well if you ignore the advice of the man who's fought in two wars._

The green light flashed again and Lupin wheeled. The Killing Curse passed through the hem of his robes, setting them on fire.

_Too close._

He rolled, deflecting a pair of Stunners.

_Looks like not everyone can use the Killing Curse._

Tonks and the man Lupin did not recognize went on the offensive. James fell back before the second man, while Lupin was able to hold his own. While he parried Ted's attacks and made a few of his own to make sure none of his compatriots got suspicious, he wondered just how to extricate himself from the situation.

_However hostile he might have been before, I'm not going to kill Dora's father or feed him to the Dementors._

Of course, resolving not to do those things to his father-in-law did not automatically mean he had a way to get out of the situation with both their lives and his plan intact.

His ruminations distracted him to the point he was not able to Shield himself from Ted's curse. A silver arrow slammed into his gut and send him flying, in a doubled-over position to boot. He crashed into the ground and somewhere during his tumble, misplaced his wand.

He scrambled backward as soon as he hit the ground, but was not fast enough. Ted loomed overhead, wand pointed straight at his son-in-law's head.

"Goodbye, Remus," he said.

Tonks fired the Killing Curse straight down at Lupin. Lupin threw his head to the side and the curse slammed into the ground next to his head. The resulting explosion sent both of them flying.

Both of them slammed into the forest floor fifteen feet apart. Both of them scrambled for their fallen wands.

_He's got line of sight on his and I don't. Accio wand!_

Lupin's wand jumped into his hand and he pointed it at Ted's head. Tonks froze like an animal in the presence of a predator. The wolf within Lupin grinned.

_Bad idea. If you'd moved quickly and hurled the curse, you'd have gotten me._

However, though he'd drawn a bead on Ted, he did not hurl a curse, not even a Stunner. The older man's eyes widened incrementally.

"What are you waiting for?" James shouted from behind Lupin. "Take the shot!"

"Take the shot," Lupin repeated, loud enough for Ted to hear. He locked eyes with his father-in-law, hopefully getting the point across.

"Oh bloody hell, I'll do it myself," James said, shoving Lupin out the way.

_Bad idea._

Ted took the shot. James fell dead.

The two of them faced each other. Lupin slowly rose to his feet, wand still on his father-in-law. Slowly, he lowered his wand.

Ted immediately pointed his wand at Lupin. Lupin did nothing.

"You had your chance to curse me and you didn't. You let me kill one of your men. Why?"

"He was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we have had," said Dean Thomas from somewhere out of Lupin's field of vision. "Not a Death Eater like Crouch, Snape, or Umbridge. He wasn't the type to go Dark."

_Dean? You're out here too?_

It would make sense. He'd have to be insane to go back to Hogwarts with Snape as the Headmaster.

"But why is he fighting for the enemy?" a goblin Lupin did not recognize hissed. "Fighting for the killers of Muggleborns and rebellious goblins alike?"

Ted looked at Lupin.

"Dora said Dumbledore had him living among the werewolves, living as a spy," he said. "Perhaps this has something to do with it."

_Should I let him believe that? He's married to a Slytherin — the notion that I'd be participating in Muggleborn hunts as part of my cover is something he should recognize._

Lupin decided to let his silence speak for him.

Ted extended his hand.

"I forgot to thank you for taking out the trash that let my grandson die," he said.

Slowly, Lupin shook Ted's hand. The wolf bristled at so easily forgiving an opponent who nearly killed him several times during the course of the fight.

Lupin frowned inwardly.

_He was protecting his daughter as best he could_, he told himself. _I'm not entirely innocent in the whole process anyway._

"Thank you," he replied. "I rather wish I hadn't had to do it."

"Me too."

Silence fell, broken only by Thomas helping up the man Lupin did not recognize. Lupin decided to change the subject.

"How long have you been out here?" he asked.

"A couple of weeks. We've been getting fish out of the rivers, but any other food's hard to come by."

He gestured to his reduced stomach.

"As you can no doubt tell."

Lupin smiled slightly.

"Out of curiosity, how did you learn how to use the Killing Curse? They tell us the incantation in school but understandably not how to use it."

Ted shrugged.

"Dromeda taught me just before we left. It's been right helpful dealing with the Snatchers who've been dogging us."

_Very Slytherin of her._

He frowned.

"You're not the only Snatcher patrol in the forest," he said. "We saw two separate groups last week."

"The noose is tightening," Lupin said. "It might be prudent to evacuate the Forest of Dean, head for somewhere else."

Ted nodded.

"Good idea."

He gestured to the body of the dead goblin.

"Greyback might be mollified a bit if you brought something back to him."

The living goblin hissed.

"You'd have him take Gornuk's body away? Give it to wizards?"

Ted sighed sadly. Dean looked sad as well.

"Do we really need to do this?" he asked. "Gornuk traveled with us…"

Ted turned to his younger companion.

"If Remus stays alive, we can trust his Snatchers at least not to kill us or drag us to that bitch Umbridge for some Dementor-snogging. Giving him something to bring back to Greyback will make that more likely."

Dean and the goblin both nodded.

Lupin's gaze drifted over to his Stunned compatriot.

_The curse might wear off. Best make sure he doesn't hear too much while he's coming out of it._

Lupin leaned forward conspiratorially.

"All of you run," he said. "I'll wake him up and make sure he sees me firing at you."

Ted smiled.

"Good plan."

The fugitives retreated. Lupin picked up one of the dead Snatchers' wands and pointed it at the unconscious man on the ground while pointing his own in the general direction of the fugitives.

_Finite incantatem._

As the man came awake, Lupin hurled Killing Curses in the direction of the fugitives, making sure to aim above their heads.

"Run!" he shouted after them, trying to sound fierce and intimidating. "Run!"

September 6th, 1997 AD

3:30 PM

Lupin and the third Snatcher — whose name he learned was Samuel Sullivan — reported back to the werewolf colony with the goblin's corpse.

"There were five of them," Lupin said. "We got one."

"At the cost of two Snatchers?" Greyback asked, voice low and gaze serious. "One of them a brother werewolf?"

_Uh oh. Got to think of something._

"We have reason to believe we've forced them out of the Forest of Dean," Lupin said. "They were retreating towards the boundaries of the anti-Disapparition zone. I thought it imprudent to go after them with just two of us against four, particularly since Sullivan here was hurt."

Greyback stared at Lupin for a long moment. Lupin raised his mental shields, expecting some kind of Legilimens probing, but none came.

_Perhaps he's never learned Legilimency. Good. He won't catch me in any lies._

"It would be prudent to deploy Snatchers along the northern edge of the forest, to catch them before they get beyond the jinx. They might not have gotten far, especially if they return to their camp-site."

_Hopefully they'll be gone by now._

Greyback nodded. Then he turned to the other Snatcher.

"Is this true, Sullivan?" he asked.

"He was firing Killing Curses at them when he woke me up," the third Snatcher replied.

Greyback turned back to Lupin.

"Good. I'm claiming all the gold for this one, though. Got to make up for the losses taken on the other two."

Lupin nodded.

"As you wish, sir."


	27. Detecting Dissidence

**Detecting Dissidence**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

September 10th, 1997 AD

9:30 AM

"Remus, I've got a new task for you," Fenrir Greyback said.

Remus Lupin repressed the urge to show fear. It was not every day that a werewolf was escorted into Greyback's office by Phillip Wolf and when that happened, it was even rarer they emerged unscathed.

_Greyback's been rather violently lately._

"What sort of task, sir?" he asked.

Greyback smiled and Lupin felt somewhat sick. For a moment, he feared Greyback had learned how he had allowed Ted Tonks and his companions to escape and was only now taking revenge. Greyback could kill him, or deny him Wolfsbane and unleash him as a terror-weapon during the full moons…

"You've been serving as a Snatcher for the last few weeks. You've caught a few Mudbloods for us, but we both know your heart isn't in it."

_Oh dear._

Surreptitiously, Lupin reached for his wand.

Greyback snorted.

"Oh don't bother. I'm not going to kill you or punish you in some worse fashion. Besides, there are hundreds of werewolves who worship me on the other side of that door and I doubt you can overcome them too."

Greyback licked his lips and leered.

"You do want to see your pretty pink-haired Auror again, I assume?"

Lupin paled.

_Oh Merlin. He knows. He knows._

Greyback then started talking about something else entirely.

"Most werewolves never received a Hogwarts education," Greyback growled.

_A lot of which is your fault, infecting them and stealing them from their parents._

"You got one because your parents gave a damn and your affliction was kept secret. They wouldn't let me in at all — too many people knew what I was — and I'm not the only one. Consequently, we're inferior wizards to the Death Eaters, members of the Order of the Phoenix, and even some ordinary people."

Lupin thought back to the fight with Kingsley Shacklebolt over the diary of Gellert Grindelwald. Three other werewolves fought alongside him, but four-on-one, they could not overcome the Auror.

"That's where you come in," Greyback said. "I want you to train my werewolves for war. You were the Defense against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, that can't be too difficult for you."

Lupin had mixed feelings about this assignment. He would no longer need to hunt Muggleborns, but instead, he'd be making other werewolves better Muggleborn-hunters, better terrorists for the Dark Lord.

Lupin did not answer immediately. Greyback smiled, revealing stained teeth.

"Come now, Remus, we just got finished saying how you want to see your pretty wife again. If you don't want to see her badly enough to do what's necessary, I can think of several dozen others who'd like to pay a visit to a pretty witch who likes sleeping with werewolves. I might be inclined to go see her myself, if you know what I mean."

He accentuated his point by running his tongue over his teeth, a sick look in his eyes.

Lupin recognized intellectually that his wife would probably be able to crush Greyback and any of his minions like grapes beneath a Muggle steamroller, but the thought of her screaming beneath Greyback and any number of his enforcers made him physically sick.

_The Longbottoms were mighty too, but the Death Eaters took them by surprise._

"I would be honored, sir," Lupin said weakly.

Greyback smiled.

"Faster than I would have expected. We'll make a good werewolf out of you yet."

_There's a silver lining to this. I'd be in a position to influence dozens if not hundreds of werewolves._

"Your first class will be at noon," Greyback ordered. "Good luck."

He smiled darkly.

"Not that you'll need that, if your little woman means that much to you."

September 10th, 1997 AD

12 PM

Lupin took his position in one of the empty fields around the colony. Twenty werewolves formed a line in front of him.

"All right," Lupin began mildly. "You're here because Fenrir Greyback thinks you have potential that, thanks to most of our kind being unable to attend Hogwarts, has not been fully realized. He has assigned me to train you in the ways of magical combat."

As he walked up and down the long line of werewolves, Lupin made eye contact with each of them.

_Legilimency is a useful skill to know, although it's not my strongest suit._

He locked eyes with one of the werewolves, a short and somewhat stocky man.

_I remember him arguing against the alliance with Voldemort, _the man thought_. I hope he hasn't gone over to Greyback's ways completely. It'd be better if we could all get along, werewolf or not._

Lupin repressed the urge to shake his head.

_Not a very good Occlumens, that one._

Rather than thinking about something else entirely, to block out what they were trying to hide, he instead thought about what he was trying to hide and tried to consciously hide that. Although he was not as good a Legilimens as Snape, he was able to break through the rudimentary shielding. He held open the connection for a few seconds longer.

_He's a Legilimens! If Wolf finds out what I'm thinking, I'm dead._

The image of a beating the man had witnessed accompanied that thought. Lupin repressed the urge to frown. What the man had witnessed confirmed some of his own observations in recent days.

_Greyback's dumped his 'no violence among werewolves' policy, it seems._

Lupin walked past and the man relaxed, apparently thinking himself safe from any wrath.

_Safe from Greyback's or Wolf's punishment, yes, but he's not safe from my plan_, he thought. _I could assassinate Greyback by myself, but seizing control afterward will require help._

He continued down the line, locking eyes with each werewolf. He could not detect anything particularly interesting from several of them.

Then he mentally probed a tall, dark-haired woman.

_I was going to have a baby, but I woke up covered in blood after I changed. Our little girl was dead._

Lupin remembered Tonks' tears and pain and nearly broke contact with the woman. He forced himself to maintain the connection.

_He wants to make us better soldiers, but the more people will suffer like I have, never able to have children of their own._

Lupin walked past the last werewolf in the line and returned to his position at the front of the group. He was hiding a small smile.

_Two werewolves out of twenty. If ten percent of the colony doubts Greyback's plans, I could seize control, or at least get a nice civil war going._

"All right," Lupin began. "None of you have a Hogwarts education, but you have served in Snatcher gangs or in combat in service of the Dark Lord. I assume all of us know the rudiments of dueling?"

They nodded.

"Good. I'm going to pair you off and see where your strengths and weaknesses are. No Unforgivables — we can save those for later."

The werewolves paired off.

"Begin," Lupin said.

The duels began with a series of shouts — few of them seemed to know non-verbal magic. Most of the werewolves were able to hold their own against one another except for one small man. He had been paired with Andrew Parker, a werewolf who was one of Phillip Wolf's enforcers, and was clearly out of his league.

_Oh dear._

Parker hammered away at the small man, driving him back. The small man managed to deflect his curses with a Shield Charm, but his few offensive spells seemed ineffective.

The bigger werewolf growled and hurled a Blasting Curse that literally shattered the small man's Shield. The man ended up on his back and Parker leaped forward, planting his booted foot on the small man's gut. He raised his foot again for another strike.

"Enough," Lupin said. "You've beaten him."

The man ignored him, continuing to attack his fallen foe. Lupin repressed the urge to sigh.

_Sometimes, one must take steps. Stupefy!_

Lupin fired a curse over the man's head. The bloodthirsty werewolf recoiled from his enemy. The other dueling werewolves stopped and watched.

"Oi! What was that for?"

"Enough is enough."

The werewolf spat on the ground.

"The weak need to know their place."

He eyed Lupin, his eyes wild.

"You don't seem very strong."

Lupin repressed another sigh.

_Looks like I need to make an example._

Without warning, Lupin Stunned the man. He put a fair bit of power into the curse and put the other werewolf on his back.

_Hopefully some ribs are broken. That'll teach him a lesson._

He could hear gasps from among the other werewolves.

Lupin turned to the werewolf who Parker had beaten so badly.

"Get up," he said quietly.

Hesitantly, the man rose to his feet. Lupin waved his wand across the man's midsection, vanishing the bruises away and calming the roiling contents of his stomach.

_This one reminds me very much of Neville. I think I can employ the same strategy._

"Your Shield charm was impressive, although your offense needs work," Lupin said. "Curse me."

"Sir?" the man asked weakly.

"Do you want to get better?"

Slowly, the man nodded.

"Curse me," Lupin repeated.

Hesitantly, the man pointed his want.

"Stupefy!"

The bolt of red light hurtled towards Lupin. He deflected it.

"Here's a trick I learned fighting in the First War," Lupin said. "Add 'Multis' to any incantation and you'll be able to fire multiple curses with one incantation, spoken or not."

_Is that too big a trick to give away? I was hoping to save that for those I could recruit to my plot, along with the talking Patronus._

He shrugged inwardly.

_Too late now._

"Can you do that?" Lupin asked.

The small man nodded.

"Stupefy multis!" he said.

A stream of Stunners surged from his wand. Lupin deflected all of them, although the effort left him slightly winded.

"Good job," he said.

He turned towards the fallen Parker.

_Enervate!_

Parker woke up.

"Wha…?" he asked.

"You missed out on something very informative," Lupin said. "This young man…"

"Taylor White," Parker volunteered.

_Someone is trying to curry favor_, Lupin noted.

"Mr. White has managed a very useful bit of dueling magic. I think you need to see it."

He turned back to White and raised his Shield.

"Again."

"Stupefy multis!" White said, more confident this time.

The Stunners poured forward again. Lupin again deflected them, although the effort proved more trying this time.

_Best not overdo it._

"You see, Mr. Parker," Lupin said. "I've received a full Hogwarts education, fought in two wars, and Mr. White, using that one spell, has managed to give me trouble. You see, size does not always mean strength."

Parker nodded.

"Very well," Lupin said. "New partners. Let us continue."

As he watched the werewolves duel each other, he smiled.

_Three potential allies in this batch alone_, Lupin thought. _Four if I can impress Parker with power if not with wisdom. This will be a productive assignment._


	28. An Update

**An Update**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note:** Tonks-as-a-man is based on a similar concept from "The Deathly Hallows Do-Over," which is on my Favorites list if anyone wants to read it. BTW, we broke 10,000 hits. Thanks for your support.

September 20th, 1997 AD

11:30 AM

"Wotcher, Remus," someone said from behind Remus Lupin, making him jump. He found a young man with a thin mustache smiling behind him, a young man whose looks quickly dissolved into the familiar visage of his wife, Nymphadora Tonks.

Lupin exhaled.

"Dora, you scared me," he chided.

Tonks' face fell. Lupin kicked himself.

_Some of her old humor is coming back. You should encourage that, not stamp it out._

"Not," Lupin said with a smile, "That it did not have its comedic potential."

_If there wasn't a war on, that would have been much more fun._

Tonks smiled wanly. Then, with her usual fierceness, she rushed forward and hugged him. They held each other for a long moment, resting their foreheads against each other.

"So," Lupin said when they had pulled apart. "Any Order of the Phoenix business I should be made aware of?"

"Well," Tonks said. "Kingsley's been keeping me out of the loop more and more. I find things out from the Weasleys, usually a few days out of date."

_Figures. Kingsley probably suspects we're still seeing each other._

"He still finds things for me to do, following Death Eaters in disguise."

She smiled grimly and currents of red trickled through her hair.

"Only I don't report on their movements anymore. I _kill_ them."

Something about the way she said that disturbed him. He knew she'd killed Death Eaters, had seen it himself on multiple occasions. However, he didn't remember her being so _happy_ about it.

_Hopefully this will pass._

"Oh," she said, brightening noticeably. "You'll like this."

Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione have shown themselves."

_Thank Merlin. They're all right._

"They raided the Ministry for Magic, rescued a bunch of Muggleborns being held there pending transport to Azkaban," she continued. "They clocked that porker Dolores Umbridge too."

Lupin smiled.

"Couldn't have happened to a more deserving person," he said.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Do you think this has to do with whatever it was Dumbledore was training Harry to do? Saving Muggleborns from the Death Eaters is certainly a good thing, but any of us could have helped him with that."

That irritated part of Lupin. The three of them were on some kind of secret mission against the darkest wizard in a century and they had made no effort to get any sort of assistance! Even if Harry had learned about what he'd done, they could still consult Tonks or Kingsley!

_You're like your father, Harry. A bit too much so._

Tonks shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "Not that we don't need all the help we can get right now…"

_It's them who need our help. I wasn't able to protect James and Lily, I wasn't able to stop that bitch from killing Sirius. I'd do better this time if I knew where to find them!_

She looked at him.

"How goes your plan?"

"Greyback's having me train the werewolves in dueling and curses, like I did at Hogwarts. This means they'll be better soldiers if I can take over from Greyback, but in the meantime…"

"More trouble for us," Tonks replied.

Lupin nodded.

"Hopefully not for you," he said. "Greyback knows we're still seeing each other."

Tonks narrowed her eyes.

"When I showed reluctance to train his soldiers, he made some rather…vulgar and threatening remarks about young witches who like to sleep with werewolves. I doubt he'll bother you or allow any of his minions to as long as I'm useful to him, but you'd best keep an eye out."

"I can handle any of them," she said.

"Probably," Lupin cautioned. "However, the Longbottoms in their prime were the equals of the Lestranges, but Bellatrix and her kin caught them unawares. I don't want the same thing to happen to you."

Tonks nodded.

"I'll be careful."

Lupin smiled, hoping to change the subject.

"Good."

He looked around the narrow alley.

"Shall we get something to eat? I'm famished."

"Me too."

September 20th, 1997 AD

1:30 PM

After finishing lunch in a small café, Lupin and Tonks materialized in the isolated spot in the woods near the Tonks home. Tonks abandoned her male guise and put her hands on her stomach.

"Urg," she said. "Eating just before Apparating doesn't agree with me."

She grabbed onto him for a moment to steady herself. As she touched him, Lupin became more conscious of her warmth, her smell. He slid his arms around her.

_How long has it been since we made love?_

The colony was off-limits to her and her parents' home was off-limits to him. They'd rendezvoused now and again, but never anywhere where they could enjoy more than each other's company. Plus he'd been leery about the physical aftereffects of the Muggle technique they had used on her — he wasn't quite sure if it would have even been _safe_.

_It _has_ been several weeks._

"Tell me, Dora," Lupin said. "Is your Mum home?"

Tonks shook her head.

"She's gone to visit Dad's family for a bit, keep them informed as to what's going on. I don't think she'll be home until after dinnertime."

Lupin smiled. He figured it was time to play the Marauder again.

"You know," Lupin said. "If she's not home…"

He finished the sentence with a pinch. Tonks sighed.

"I'm not really in the mood right now, Remus. I'm sorry."

"Are you sure? It might help you feel better, and now's the perfect chance."

She shook her head.

"Maybe next time, Remus."

_Oh dear. She's worse off than I thought._

September 20th, 1997 AD

2 PM

Lupin leaned back on his chair in his grotto in the colony when he heard someone outside. He set aside his copy of the _Quibbler_ — Xenophilius Lovegood had put aside his creatures and conspiracy theories and was reporting real war news — and rose to his feet.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," a small voice said.

_Jack._

"Hallo, Jack," Lupin said. "Do come in."

Jack stepped into Lupin's grotto, looking a bit worse for wear. Lupin figured the boy would have experienced at least two transformations by now.

_At least he's still growing. That would make recovering from them slightly easier._

"Hallo, Mr. Lupin," the boy said, looking down at his feet.

"Is something bothering you?" Lupin asked.

Jack slowly nodded.

"What is it?"

"My new Mummy and Daddy," he said. "The…they scare me."

_Figures. They're among Greyback's more fanatical followers._

Greyback had nursed David back to health after finding him near-death from starvation in an alley in Muggle Oxford and had rescued Rita from relatives who were keeping her locked in their basement. They had repaid his kindness with loyalty and he in turn rewarded their loyalty with a child.

"How so?"

"They hate everybody who isn't a werewolf. Even my old Mummy and Daddy."

The boy swallowed.

"They say when I'm grown, I'll help them kill people. They'll make sure I drink a special potion so I'll remember it, and enjoy it."

The boy sniffled. A tear crawled down his cheek.

"I don't want to kill people," the boy moaned. "I _like_ people."

Something tensed inside Lupin.

_The infection may ruin his body, but it's Greyback and the Wilsons who will ruin his soul, if I don't put a stop to this._

"There, there," Lupin said. He reached into his rucksack and pulled out half of a Muggle chocolate bar. "Have this. It'll help you feel better."

The boy took the candy.

"Thank you," he said.

Lupin looked towards the grotto entrance and wondered if anyone was listening in.

_It wouldn't do for them to catch me being a 'bad influence' on a child of two of Greyback's loyalists._

On the other hand, he wasn't going to let Jack get brainwashed without a fight.

"You know," Lupin said. "Not all 'normal people' hate werewolves."

Jack looked up at Lupin.

"They don't?"

He shook his head.

"Don't tell your new Mummy and Daddy I told you this, but a long time ago, I had three friends who didn't care what I was."

"Really?"

So Lupin began telling the boy the first of what he hoped would be many stories about the Marauders…


	29. The Conspiracy Begins

**The Conspiracy Begins**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Happy Mother's Day to all of our readers who are mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, etc.

October 10th, 1997 AD

10:30 AM

Remus Lupin sat in the battered Muggle wheeled office chair that he'd appropriated for his grotto and read a book on dueling magic.

_Greyback is pleased with the progress of his army, but he wants more. If I want to keep the scheme going, I'm going to have to keep producing._

Something slammed into the walls outside. A moment passed, then something else slammed into the wall.

Lupin scowled.

_It's bloody hard to concentrate with all this racket._

Lupin heard the unmistakable _crack_ of a curse being thrown. His scowl deepened.

_I hope nobody is getting hurt out there._

Given the criminal atmosphere that flourished in the werewolf colony, fights and trouble took place more often than he generally approved of. This was something else he'd have to fix, once he'd unseated Greyback.

He set his book aside, rose to his feet, and straightened out his robes.

_Time to throw my weight around._

Lupin stepped out to find a most unexpected sight.

Connor Lykos and Phillip Wolf circled each other, a bloodied young man lying between them. All around them, many other werewolves watched, although none moved to interfere. Periodically, Lykos or Wolf would lunge and attack with either their fists or a spell. The two were evenly matched — although Wolf had a black eye and blood trickled from Lykos' nose, neither party was able to inflict significant damage on the other.

_This isn't going to last_, Lupin thought. _Wolf is stronger than Connor. He'll wear him down._

Lupin was able to draw his wand to intervene when Fenrir Greyback erupted onto the scene. The crowds drew back, enabling the senior werewolf to quickly get between his feuding followers.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Greyback roared, drawing his own wand. Lykos drew back, while Wolf smiled evilly.

"This one," Wolf said, gesturing to the werewolf on the ground, "was talking treason. I decided to put a stop to that, but Connor decided to interfere."

Greyback looked at Lykos, raising an eyebrow.

"Is this true, Connor?" he asked.

_Uh oh_, Lupin thought. _This could get bad._

Part of him wanted to throw himself forward to protect his only real friend in the colony, but he hung back.

_Don't jeopardize your position in the colony. Don't jeopardize your plan._

Lykos swallowed.

"Andrews was only _questioning_ the wisdom of our alliance with the Death Eaters," he said. "He said the Dark Lord could not be…"

With a roar, Greyback leaped forward and backhanded Lykos. The junior werewolf slammed into the stone walls that stood on either side of the rusting tracks and bounced off, ending up on his back. He scrambled away, but Greyback slammed a booted foot onto his stomach, pinning him to the ground like a butterfly to a board.

"Wolf is in charge of discipline here, not you," he growled. "You're too soft for that kind of work."

Greyback then raised his voice.

"And the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters are our allies until I say otherwise," he called out. "Anyone who speaks against them is speaking against me, and will suffer the consequences."

He turned and stabbed with his wand at Andrews. The beaten werewolf jerked and moaned, writhing beneath the senior werewolf's attack.

_He's using the Cruciatus Curse, non-verbally._

Lupin filed that bit of trivia away for future reference.

He then turned his wrath towards Lykos. The junior werewolf writhed and screamed beneath Greyback's foot.

The bigger werewolf stepped back abruptly.

"That's enough," he said, keeping one eye on Wolf. "I hope both of you have learned your lesson."

Lykos nodded weakly. The other injured werewolf moaned. Greyback turned and stormed away. Wolf sneered at Lykos and Andrews before disappearing himself.

One by one, the denizens of the colony began drifting away. A woman pushed her way through the dissipating crowd to help Andrews up and away, leaving Lykos alone.

Lykos groaned and tried to pull himself up. He got onto his knees before he collapsed onto the ground.

_Oh dear._

Lupin stepped over to Lykos. He reached down and extended his hand.

"Come on," he said.

Lykos nodded, reaching up and taking Lupin's hand. With Lupin's assistance, Lykos slowly rose to his feet with a groan.

"Home," Lykos moaned.

Lupin pulled Lykos' arm across his shoulder and helped his friend walk to the larger grotto where the older werewolf lived. He managed to get Lykos into his bed, then pulled a chair up beside him. Lupin frowned when he got a look at Lykos' injuries.

_He's a mess._

His nose, bloodied in the fight with Wolf, looked to be broken now. Every breath seemed to cause him pain, although Lupin didn't see blood when Lykos exhaled.

_He might have fractured ribs. Thank Merlin there weren't any punctures._

Of course, given the knocking his head took, there might be the possibility of brain injury. Lupin decided to focus on that first, lest Lykos die while he focused on some less urgent problem.

Lupin drew his wand and touched Lykos' temples and the top of his head.

_Resarcio panton intus_.

He retraced gestures again. The three points glowed and Lykos moaned again.

_That's dealt with. Now to focus on other injuries. Episkey._

Lykos' nose knitted itself together, a process that was not a pretty sight.

"Have you got any Skele-Gro?" Lupin asked.

Lykos nodded.

"The transformations get worse every year," he said. "Sometimes I need a little help putting myself back together."

He pointed weakly towards a cupboard in the corner.

"Good. That should help with your ribs."

Lupin retrieved the potion from the cupboard and handed it to Lykos. The older werewolf slowly drank it down, wincing with every gulp.

_It must be taking effect._

"Thank you, Remus," Lykos said. "You could get into trouble with Wolf if he saw what you did. And if he sees it, Greyback will know."

_Now's my chance._

He gestured to the doorway of Lykos' home, putting a silencing jinx in place. Nobody would overhear them. He subtly shifted his body, turning away from the door and blocking Lykos' view. Nobody would be able to read their lips either.

"You know, Connor, it wasn't all that long ago that Greyback insisted there be no violence among werewolves in the colony," Lupin began.

Lykos nodded.

"Aye. I understand the need for discipline, since we're at war. But there are degrees. All Andrews did was talk."

Lupin shook his head.

"Quite a shame, I think. I've heard that the Dark Lord uses the Cruciatus Curse to punish Death Eaters who displease him. Perhaps Greyback has been hanging out with the Dark Lord for too long." Lupin paused for effect. "Falling more and more under his influence."

_Not that he would need any help to be evil._

Lykos was silent for a long moment.

"That's possible."

_Now!_

"You know, Connor, if Greyback were no longer in charge of the colony, he would not be able to abuse his subordinates like this."

Despite his weakness, Lykos locked eyes with Lupin.

"What are you getting at, Remus?" he asked.

_Oh dear._

Lykos was one of Greyback's lieutenants, the recent hiccup notwithstanding. Lupin would have to be very careful.

"Wolf attacked Andrews because Andrews said the Dark Lord cannot be trusted, correct?"

Lykos nodded.

"Aye."

"And you agree with him? You defended him against Wolf, after all."

Lykos nodded.

"All he did was talk. And it's not like Greyback and the others don't have their suspicions anyway."

"Here's something else to think about," Lupin said. "Things have been awfully quiet in Britain, haven't they? Since the Dark Lord took power?"

Lykos nodded.

"A bit strange, that. One would think your people would be all over the place."

"That's because nobody is really sure what's going on. The Death Eaters and werewolves increased their attacks just prior to Scrimgeour's 'retirement,' but nobody has made the connection. Yet. Furthermore, nobody's made the connection between the sudden ascension of Pius Thicknesse and the fact that the Ministry is now hunting Muggleborns, using werewolves and common criminals to do it."

Now to apply the screws.

"Tell me, Connor, what do werewolves and common criminals have in common?"

"Unpopularity?"

"Close," Lupin said. "Expendability. To the average witch or wizard, Scrimgeour's replacement with Thicknesse has been accompanied by a rise in criminal activity, particularly against Muggleborns. What do you think will happen when there are no more Muggleborns and 'blood traitors'?"

Lykos made the connection instantly.

"He'll come after us next."

"And the people will love him for it. He'll get rid of the 'ineffective' Thicknesse, wipe us out, and be hailed as the bloody savior of the wizarding world."

"You're not the only one to make this connection," Lykos said. "Greyback's been having some of the most promising Muggleborns bitten, so he's in charge of them and not that fat bitch Umbridge. When the last Muggleborns are dealt with, we'll have an army of our own…"

"An army big enough to face down Law Enforcement, the Death Eaters, and the Dark Lord himself?" Lupin interrupted. "A tall order, since most of us haven't gone to Hogwarts. The Muggleborns will even the odds some, but most of them aren't trained fighters, even if they have been to school."

Lykos nodded. "It _is_ a long shot."

"And all this assumes the witch or wizard on the street isn't going to figure out what's going on beforehand. Remember, most people don't know we're being secretly ruled by the Dark Lord, or else the streets would be running with blood. What will happen to werewolves when the people revolt?"

Lykos paled, grasping the implications.

"You're saying if the Dark Lord stays in power long enough, we're dead. And if there's a popular revolt against him that succeeds, we're dead too?"

Lupin nodded.

"However, the Order of the Phoenix is still out there. My wife is still fighting, as is Kingsley Shacklebolt — the last loyal Aurors. There are others too. If we stand together with them, we'll have a chance. If we help the Dark Lord destroy all his enemies, there will be nobody left when the time comes for him to destroy us."

"So what is your solution, then? You've tried to convince Greyback to ally with the Order of the Phoenix before, and he hasn't agreed with you then. Even _if_ Greyback decided on this policy change, what makes you think the Order of the Phoenix will accept his help?"

"That's why we need to kill him," Lupin said. "He's got too much blood on his hands, especially now. I've got some myself, but I've also got friends in the Order who will vouch for me."

Lykos regarded Lupin for a long moment.

_Oh dear. I hope I don't have to alter his memory or kill him._

Slowly, Lykos nodded.

"If that's what it takes," he said.

He swallowed.

"However, if you intend to topple Greyback, especially if you want to impose such a radical policy change, you'll need more than the two of us and some misgivings, however justified. Greyback built this colony. He brought us all together, when before we were friendless outcasts living on the margins. He made us _strong_."

Lupin nodded.

"When the time comes, the others need not know it was us who did it, at least not immediately."

"Really?"

"You said that Greyback knows the Death Eaters are using us. I assume this knowledge is widespread among the inner circle of his lieutenants?"

Lykos nodded.

"Except for Jason Willis and Tabitha Alexander," he said. "They honestly believe the Dark Lord intends to establish a more just society for magical beings like us, the goblins, and the centaurs. And they don't trust you at all. If you intend to bring us over to the side of the Order of the Phoenix, they'll need to be dealt with as well."

Lupin nodded.

_I know how to deal with people._

He smiled grimly.

"I think we have our scapegoats," Lupin said.

Lykos did not react for a moment. Then he nodded.

"Good idea."

_I think I've got a co-conspirator. Just need a few more._

"But what about the Order?" Lykos interrupted. "They might be skeptical about fighting alongside werewolves, especially after you went over to us."

"Tonks can help us with that, as can Harry Potter and his friends. Even if the Order doesn't want our help, they're not in a position to refuse it."

Something dark smiled inside Lupin.

"If necessary, they can be persuaded."


	30. Returning to Headquarters

**Returning to Headquarters**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

October 12th, 1997 AD

12 PM

Remus Lupin made his way up the steps to 12 Grimmauld Place.

_All right_, he thought. _I've got Lykos on board. Now to talk to Harry, Ron, and Hermione._

Lupin knew he could not count on any member of the Order of the Phoenix besides Tonks. All they'd see in him was a traitor and madman. The three younger wizards, however, had been out of contact with the Order and might not be aware of what was going on or would only have a distorted knowledge of it.

Lupin tried the handle and found it unlocked. He shook his head.

_Careless of you. It might be difficult for enemies to find this place, but them breaking down the door would at least give you some warning if they did come._

He made his way down the long hallway beneath the chandelier and gas lamps. The jinx Mad-Eye left seemed to have disappeared.

_It's possible the kids got rid of it, but it was a security measure for their protection. One hopes this isn't a sign the place has been penetrated._

Just to be on the safe side, he drew his wand. He continued more slowly , stepping quietly and hoping to avoid waking the portrait of Walburga Black.

Although he managed to avoid the umbrella stand that Dora often tripped on and ignited the Black matriarch's fury, he failed to avoid rousing the dreadful woman.

"Half-breed! Beast! Defiler of an already defiled bloodline! How dare you invade the house of my fathers!" the portrait screamed.

Lupin barely had time to ponder just how the portrait knew about his recent marriage before he heard a harsh shout.

"Who goes there?"

Lupin's heart sank.

_That's not Harry, Ron, or Hermione._

He immediately raised his wand, drawing a bead on the black-robed man that leaped down the stairs and landed on the balls of his feet.

"Why, if it isn't Remus Lupin," John Yaxley said, raising an eyebrow. An evil smile crossed his blunt features. "Looking for somebody?"

_Oh bugger. The Death Eaters have gotten in._

"A certain Mudblood girl brought me here, probably by accident," the Death Eater continued.

_Hermione!_

"Unfortunately, she and Potter got away," Yaxley continued, a scowl evident on his face. "I bet that pleases you."

"It does not exactly displease me," Lupin replied.

Yaxley's scowl deepened.

"Just you wait, _werewolf_," Yaxley growled. "Soon we won't need your kind anymore."

Yaxley locked eyes with him.

"Why are you here, anyway?"

_Got to think fast. I didn't anticipate this._

"Fenrir Greyback assigned me to train the werewolves in magical dueling." Yaxley frowned at this, but Lupin ignored him. "This house is full of Dark Magic-related materials and I think some of them would be useful to the cause."

Yaxley looked thoughtful for a moment.

"A plausible reason."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell any of us there were valuable things in this house? And why are you here alone?"

"I assumed Severus would have handled that for me. And everyone else is drilling now. I've got a friend overseeing it for the moment."

Yaxley nodded.

"All right. But don't linger here."

Lupin nodded.

"Don't worry," he said. "I won't."

Lupin turned his back on the Death Eater — not ordinarily a wise move — and made his way towards the stairs.

_Damn it_, he thought as he mounted the second step. _I could have killed him then. Now he's had the chance to report in that I've been here and they'll know who did it._

However useful to the cause it would be to kill a powerful Death Eater like Yaxley, it would jeopardize his long-term plan.

_The werewolf army can kill much more than just one Death Eater, after all. Short term versus long term._

He thought about letting it slip to Tonks that Yaxley was hanging around 12 Grimmauld Place in person, at least some of the time. The notion of his wife taking the man's ugly arse down brought a smile to Lupin's face.

_If he's here alone, he's nice big fat target. Of course, there's got to be a way to avoid even the suspicion I was involved. Perhaps her shape-shifting would help._

In any event, lingering would arouse Yaxley's suspicions. And it wouldn't be too out of character for Yaxley to be watching him, either directly or by some magical proxy.

_Okay, when the Order was cleaning the place out, Molly wanted us to put all the Dark Arts materials in Sirius's room, lest little — little being 15 years old or so — hands get hold of them. Perhaps they're still there._

Lupin headed up the stairs to the upper floors where the Black boys had lived. Ignoring Regulus's monument to Slytherin and Voldemort, he headed straight for Padfoot's idiosyncratic lair.

Just as he expected, the Death Eaters had been through it. The posters of Muggle girls and motorcycles still hung on the wall, although they had been deliberately ripped and vandalized. Many of the drawers were still open and the bookshelves were askew, as though the enemy had been looking for secret passages.

_Okay. We had the Dark Arts books on this shelf here._

He stepped over to one of the manhandled shelves. A book lying open on the floor caught his eye. He bent to examine it and got an eyeful of the open page.

_Fiendfyre?_

He knew all about Fiendfyre. During one of the battles in the First War, the Death Eaters had deployed it against the Order. That had been bad for both sides — five Order members had been killed, but so were seven Death Eaters. They did not use it at any point afterward.

Lupin wondered if it would be a good idea to deliver a weapon of this power to Greyback and the werewolves. It would take time for him to seize control of the werewolf army and they could do serious damage with it the meantime.

_On the other hand, it could be a deniable means of killing Greyback, given how difficult it is to control. Just need to figure out a way to make it seem as though the Death Eaters did it, when it was me who introduced it to the colony._

He reached down, picked up the book, and slipped it into his robes. Then he examined the other books on the shelf.

_It looks like all of the Dark Arts books are still here._

He would correct that. The Death Eaters had a treasure trove of evil knowledge on their hands and he did not want them to realize that. He picked several books off the shelf, magically attaching them once he didn't have pockets left to put them.

_I really should have brought my briefcase for this._

He finished loading up and smoothed out his robes, making it appear less obvious. It would be best not give Yaxley ideas.

"Finished, Lupin?" Yaxley asked. Lupin nearly jumped.

_Has he been watching me the whole time?_

Lupin nodded.

"What's in your coat?" Yaxley said, eying the bulges in Lupin's clothes.

"Some of Sirius's old books," Lupin said innocently. "Nothing you would care about."

Yaxley looked over to the bookshelf, then looked back at Lupin.

"You took all the Dark Arts books," he said bluntly. "We've been through the place already, took the best stuff for ourselves."

_And you didn't take those books? Either you don't need them and thus are better-trained than I expect or you're a bloody idiot._

Lupin nodded.

"For training purposes," he replied. "So that we will serve the Dark Lord better."

Yaxley's scowl deepened.

"Fine. Now get out."

Lupin made his way past the Death Eater, pondering how best to kill the bastard when the time came.


	31. Vengeance on the Avenger

**Vengeance on the Avenger**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

October 20th, 1997 AD

3 PM

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green light flashed and it was only the fact whoever was throwing the Killing Curse had to verbalize it that gave Lupin the warning needed to get out of the way.

Lupin hit the ground and rolled, laying a Shield charm as he did. The charm caught two more curses, Stunners by the looks of them.

_It doesn't seem like whoever's coming after me can fire more than one Killing Curse at a time_, Lupin thought, his soldier-sense going into action. _This isn't a professional._

For a moment, he wondered if it might be the Order. Dora said Kingsley was holding off on killing him, but the Auror might have changed his mind.

_If Kingsley wanted to fight, he'd have come himself, or sent someone more competent. This is probably someone else._

Lupin rose to his feet and looked for the origin point of the curses. He was standing in the midst of Diagon Alley, so the crowds hid whoever had just tried to assassinate him.

_This could be very bad. If he hides among the people, it will be hard to find him before he attacks again._

He noticed a dark-eyed young man watching him. Lupin turned to face him, but the man melted away into the crowd. The fact the man made himself scarce as soon as he knew Lupin was watching him roused Lupin's suspicions.

_Is that him? Is that…?_

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green flash erupted from Lupin's right. Lupin jinked to the side and the curse flew by him, narrowly missing his robes. It flew towards a crowd of bystanders…

_No!_

Lupin stabbed with his wand, knocking the endangered citizens to the ground. The jet of green light slammed into a wall and exploded, leaving a substantial crater.

This time, the crowd cleared away from the attacker. He was a short man with a receding hairline. He paled when Lupin's gaze fell on him, but quickly inhaled and steeled himself.

Lupin hurled two Blasting Curses in succession, but the man was able to deflect them.

"Who are you?" Lupin demanded.

The man hurled a Stunner, which Lupin deflected. Lupin advanced on him, deflecting his further attack but making none himself.

The man hurled another curse. Lupin deflected it, but barely.

_This one can be dangerous._

"Die, you murdering werewolf! Avada Ked—"

_Silencio._

The man stabbed with his wand, but nothing happened. Lupin fired two weak Blasting Curses aimed at the man's shins, knocking him down.

Despite being slammed onto his knees, the man held onto his wand. He jerked his wand.

"You killed my wife! Avada Ked—

_That's Healer Keira's husband!_

Lupin pushed aside the moment of sympathy and fired a Blasting Curse straight into his enemy's gut. The assault left the man doubled over on the ground. Lupin Disarmed him for good measure.

_You could do it_, the darker side of Lupin growled as he looked down his wand at his fallen opponent. _You're under Greyback's protection and he wouldn't care. He'd even be glad of it — it'd set an example as to what happens to those who hurt werewolves._

Lupin shook his head.

_No. He only came after you for the same reason you killed his wife and the other Healer. You killed someone who meant much to him._

"How did you find me?" Lupin asked. "Did someone tell you anything?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Lupin saw the dark-eyed man again. He still couldn't place him, but he looked strangely familiar.

The Healer's husband looked at the dark-eyed man, then looked back at Lupin. He didn't say anything.

Lupin leaped forward, planting his foot on his fallen enemy's chest. At the same time, he drew a bead on the stranger and hurled a Stunner. The dark-eyed man moved to Shield himself, deflecting the curse. He then disappeared into the crowd.

_Petrificus totalis._

Lupin left his would-be killer paralyzed on the street while he went to deal with the mysterious man who'd been watching the whole thing. He pushed his way through the crowd towards where he last saw his target, but found himself at an empty side street.

_He's one of the better ones. Smart enough to Disapparate as soon as he failed._

Lupin returned to where the Healer's husband lay paralyzed on the curb. He waved his wand, freeing the man.

"Who was he?" Lupin demanded. "He's not here anymore, so he can't hurt you or protect you."

He locked eyes with the fallen man, lightly pushing with Legilimency.

_Not sure how good an Occlumens he is. But if he thinks resistance is futile, he'll give in more easily._

"Tell all you know about him and you might get a reduced sentence," Lupin said quickly. "I'll even help you with that."

_The current administration is much friendlier towards the use of Dark Magic than the previous one. Perhaps this will work._

The man's jaw dropped.

"Why?" he asked, skepticism evident in his voice. "Why would you do that for me?"

Lupin sighed sadly.

"You're doing now what I did, only much less successfully. Think about that."

The man was silent for a long moment. "He was one of your people. He said you were a traitor and asked me to help."

Lupin scowled.

_The Order of the Phoenix is behind this._

Lupin wasn't surprised. Using Keira's husband as the killer made sense, if Kingsley wanted to distance himself from it and keep his involvement hidden from Dora.

"Not that I really needed much encouragement," the man continued, face twisting with hatred. "All I needed to know was where to find you, and they knew all your old haunts."

Lupin frowned.

_Time to change my habits a bit. Shop in other, more isolated areas, and never the same place twice in a row._

Lupin looked down at the fallen man.

_I could let him go. Keira said she had a son, and it wouldn't be fair to the boy to deprive him of both his parents._

On the other hand, if he let the man go, the man could try again. And Yaxley would be looking for an excuse to bother him — allowing an attempted murderer to escape would do nicely.

Outside intervention solved Lupin's conundrum for him. Twin cracks rent the air as Law Enforcement personnel materialized on either side.

"We got word of Unforgivable Curses being used," one of them said. "This him?"

There was a time when people would have assumed it was Lupin who was the perpetrator. Lupin repressed the urge to smile at how the tables were turned now.

_It's not worth the price the Muggleborns and others have to pay._

"It is," Lupin said. "He was accompanied by a member of the Order of the Phoenix. He might have been under their control."

The Law Enforcement man nodded.

"We'll look into it."

_This might save him from a life sentence in Azkaban. Of course, I don't want him to try again anytime soon._

"You might want to hold onto him for awhile, just in case they try to get hold of him again."

"We'll take that under consideration," the second Law Enforcement officer said.

Lupin watched as the man hauled his would-be killer away.

_It looks like Kingsley wants me out of the way. Should I tell Dora?_

On one hand, it would be cruel to keep secrets from his wife. On the other hand, Dora would be very upset with Kingsley and might well leave the Order, depriving them of her talents at a time they were needed most.

Lupin shook her head.

_I'll just tell her Healer Keira's husband came after me. No need for her to know Kingsley's behind it._


	32. Trouble in the Colony

**Trouble in the Colony**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

November 5th, 1997 AD

5 PM

Remus Lupin and Connor Lykos watched Phillip Wolf stand in front of a crowd of werewolves, flanked by two of his large friends.

"Now listen up," Wolf half-growled. "There's been a lot of talk that Greyback doesn't approve of and I'm here to set the record straight."

Wolf paused for a moment.

"There are people out there muttering against our alliance with the Dark Lord. They don't like killing 'normal' wizards, they don't 'like' living like criminals."

He paused again, looking around at the crowd.

"Well, I'm pretty sure none of us 'liked' living on the margins of society, half-starved and despised by these 'normal' wizards. The people we're hunting and killing now are responsible for us being hated, being mistreated, simply for who we are! They bloody well deserve it!"

_A powerful argument_, Lupin thought. _But I don't think murder is the proper punishment for prejudice._

He remembered the slaughter of the Healers in the clinic.

_They did a bit more than be prejudiced._

"The Dark Lord gave us a better deal than the Ministry or the 'Order of the Phoenix' that's still out there troubling the New Order," Wolf continued. "We've got power now, power and gold. How often have we eaten like we have in the last few months? How often have we had nice new clothes?"

He paused again.

"And some of you are saying the Dark Lord isn't trustworthy, that he'll turn on us when we're not useful to him anymore. Well," Wolf paused for effect, "It's not like Greyback hasn't taken that _possibility_ into account. Greyback has led this community ably for decades and I don't think he's going to screw up now."

He whistled and two henchmen dragged Taylor Andrews forward.

"This one was the first to speak against Greyback and his plan," Wolf grated. "The ingrate! This one's Mudblood! He should be damn well glad he got bitten, or else he'd be snogging a Dementor for the entertainment of that fat bitch Umbridge!"

That gave Lupin an idea.

_Muggleborns. They're obviously no fans of the new regime, but they didn't ask to be bitten either. They'll hate the Ministry, but they'll hate Greyback too._

He leaned over to Lykos.

"Think this one is promising?"

Lykos nodded.

"Yes."

With a roar, Wolf backhanded Andrews, sending him sprawling onto the ground. The crowd murmured fearfully.

"Spreading dissent in wartime is treason!" Wolf thundered. "Luckily, Greyback has decreed that no werewolf should kill another werewolf! Otherwise I'd bloody rip out your heart right now and eat it raw!"

Andrews tried to crawl away. Wolf pinned him by his ankle to the ground.

"Be glad of this mercy, termite," the werewolf enforcer growled. "And be glad Greyback rules here and not me."

The crowd murmured again.

"They're afraid of Wolf," Lykos murmured. "I think he needs to go. If anything, he's Greyback's logical successor, and he'll be worse."

Lupin nodded.

"I don't have a problem with that."

Lupin watched as Andrews crawled into the crowd and disappeared. Wolf looked threateningly at all of them.

"That is all. Have a bloody nice day."

He turned and stormed off, his henchmen following after him. Slowly, the crowd began to disperse. Lupin spotted Andrews dragging himself to his feet on an old piece of railroad equipment.

"Anyone watching?" Lupin asked.

Lykos looked around.

"No."

"Good."

Lupin walked over to Andrews.

"Good afternoon," he said nonchalantly.

Andrews eyed him skeptically.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I take it you don't like what we're doing, serving the Dark Lord and attacking normal wizards?"

Andrews shook his head.

"You want them to beat the piss out of me? Again?"

Lykos shook his head.

"We don't like it much either."

Andrews raised an eyebrow.

"Really? And both of you are in Greyback's confidence?"

"For now," Lupin said. "Come with us."

The three of them withdrew to Lykos' grotto, and Lupin put spells on the door that would keep people from seeing or overhearing what they were doing.

"All right," Lupin began. "Are you aware that I at one point was a member of the Order of the Phoenix?"

Andrews nodded.

"Aye. Then the bastards let your child die and you punished them."

"Those Healers weren't members of the Order of the Phoenix," Lupin said. "The Order of the Phoenix accepted me when nobody else did. My old friend James Potter gave me money to live on during the First War; Albus Dumbledore even hired me to teach Defense against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Not everyone outside of the colony is evil."

"I know that," he said. "I don't think the Muggles hate werewolves — probably don't even believe we exist. My family doesn't know what I am."

His voice lowered an octave.

"But enough of the wizards hate us to make our lives miserable outside the colony."

"But despite this, you've still criticized Greyback," Lykos interrupted. "Why?"

Andrews' face fell.

"Greyback didn't bite me and take me here. I got bit by some wild werewolf in Leeds. I lost my job within a week — the boss said he didn't want to do it, but the customers wouldn't come otherwise. I couldn't get another job and sought out Greyback to avoid starving in some bloody alley or going back to the Muggle world and putting them at risk."

He paused.

"I fought for Greyback for freedom for werewolves. When the Dark Lord took over, I thought we'd won, all of us."

He sighed.

"I didn't sign up to hunt Muggleborns. If that son of a bitch hadn't bitten me, it'd be me being hunted. I didn't sign up to oppress normal wizards — I wanted respect for our kind, the same dignity they have."

"We want the same thing," Lupin said. "As you are aware, the Dark Lord is using us for his own purposes and will exterminate us when he's done. And his regime will only last as long as people don't know it's his regime. The Ministry is compromised, so who'll be leading the inevitable rebellion?"

"The Order of the Phoenix," Andrews said. "You still want the werewolves to ally with them? I know you've tried to convince Greyback."

He shook his head.

"He'll never go for that, and even if he wanted to go for it, the Order would never agree."

Something dark growled inside Lupin. He forced it down.

"That's why we need to remove him."

"Who'd lead the werewolves, then?" Andrews asked. "You?"

"As a longtime member of the Order of the Phoenix, I'd be the best option to orchestrate an alliance," Lupin said.

_Then I can turn the whole thing over to Lykos and go live a normal life with Dora. Once Voldemort is dead, of course._

"So, we're offering you a chance to fight for what you wanted to fight for when you signed up with Greyback," Lupin continued.

Andrews did not immediately reply. This troubled Lupin, but he had an idea.

_I know what might work._

"Phillip Wolf isn't going to survive either, if our plan works."

"All right," Andrews said. "Count me in."

Lupin smiled.

"Excellent."

He turned to Lykos.

"Okay," he said. "Now there are three of us, we can make Unbreakable Vows."

"Whoa," Andrews said. "Unbreakable Vows? We die if we talk?"

"We'll have to word them carefully," Lupin said. "We'll need to recruit new people, but at the same time, betrayal will be a very real danger."

Lykos nodded.

"You saw how the others fear Wolf. Fear can be a powerful motivator for treason."

Andrews nodded.

"Good point."

_Definitely have to word this carefully_, Lupin thought. _I don't want to make it so we die if we attempt to recruit new members._

"The vow is 'I will not knowingly betray the plot to kill Fenrir Greyback and bring the werewolves over to the Order of the Phoenix,'" Lupin said. "This seems like a safe vow to make."

_Nice and direct, this, with no loopholes or obstacles._

"No Unbreakable Vow is safe," Lykos said. "But this doesn't seem like it will cause any unnecessary problems."

Andrews slowly nodded.

"All right."

"Good," Lupin said. "We'll make the Vows to each other, with each serving as a Bonder in turn."


	33. Angry Mother in Law

**Angry Mother-in-Law**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

November 10th, 1997 AD

12:15 AM

Remus Lupin crept towards the home belonging to Ted and Andromeda Tonks, currently occupied by his wife Nymphadora and her mother now that Ted was on the run. Although Lupin and his wife had been in contact through Patronus and the owl post, he hadn't actually seen her in person in more than a month.

_Perhaps Dora will appreciate a surprise visit_, he thought.

There was, of course, the matter of her mother, but Lupin had ample experience creeping about in the middle of the night, so he figured he could find a way around her.

He emerged from the trees in the Tonks' backyard. His eyes leaped onto the upstairs window — he knew Ted and Andromeda's room faced his way — but the lights were off and he could not see anyone moving.

For a moment, he pondered using a Revealing Charm, but that might wake up Andromeda. If it did, it would certainly alert her that someone was coming around and he rather wished to avoid that.

He darted from the treeline and ducked behind the slide on the swingset Dora used to play on as a child. He waited for a long moment.

_No movement upstairs. Move!_

Lupin dashed over to the back door, beneath the bedroom window that looked down on him like an enormous dark eye.

_Now what. Do I throw rocks against her window like some teenager, or try something more direct?_

On one hand, clattering around could wake Andromeda and that could get rather difficult. On the other hand, any intruder into the Tonks home these days would probably be treated as a Death Eater.

Lupin decided to at least get inside the house, lest Andromeda see him though the window. He made his way over to the back door and gestured with his wand to see if there were any defenses.

_It would not be good to touch the doorknob and be blasted fifty feet by a lightning bolt._

The house was defended, and the defenses were not reacting to him as though he were welcome.

_Figures._

He carefully cast spells designed to penetrate magical defenses. Using both his wand and his mind, he managed to penetrate the wards protecting the house, setting a thirty-second window where he could open the door.

_One, two, three, now!_

He pulled the door open, rushed inside, and then used the remaining time to slowly close the door. The lock clicked shut just as the time ran out.

No alarms wailed, no explosions took place. It seemed as though he'd managed it.

_Okay. Now just have got to get to Dora's room._

He made his way towards the back stairs. He'd come within ten feet when he was interrupted.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Andromeda Tonks shouted from dark corner. The older woman had the advantage of surprise and attacking from concealment. Lupin did not even have time to dodge — he twisted and just barely avoided the jet of green light as it passed over his shoulder.

Lupin raised his Shield and ducked back, moving from the confined space of the kitchen into the dining room at the foot of the stairs.

"Mrs. To—" he began. Andromeda cut him off with another Killing Curse. Lupin managed to duck away and the jet of green light shattered a very nice chair.

"Andromeda," Lupin said, using her full name to hopefully get her attention. "Andromeda, listen to…"

"Why should I?" she snarled. Lupin could see the shadow of Bellatrix on her face.

_Oh dear._

"You abandoned my daughter, ran off with a bloody _terrorist_," Andromeda hissed. "When she woke up and you were gone, it set her crying about as much as the bloody miscarriage did."

She hurled another curse. This time it wasn't the Killing Curse and Lupin was able to deflect it into the table, cracking it right down the middle.

"I would think," Lupin said, "you would appreciate the way I dealt with the ones responsible for Dora losing her baby."

Andromeda laughed bitterly.

"Oh, I don't mind that," she said. "They deserved it. But what happened afterward…"

"I didn't have a choice, Andromeda! Law Enforcement was hunting for me and I wanted to keep them away from you!"

"Well, that's bloody nice. I suppose you wanted to have your cake and eat it too."

Andromeda hurled multiple Blasting Curses, the resulting explosions forcing Lupin back. He saw a corner behind him and knew Andromeda was trying to trap him.

_She might be able throw another Killing Curse then._

Lupin was not interested in hurting his mother-in-law, but decided he didn't really have a choice.

_Stupefy!_

A streak of red light erupted from Lupin's wand. Andromeda quickly raised a Shield of her own and deflected it into another chair.

_She's better than I expected. Why she sat out the First War, I do not know._

Lupin moved to attack again, but something moved behind him. A streak of white light shot over his shoulder into the ceiling. It then exploded like a bomb, all but blinding Lupin. Andromeda staggered backwards, apparently even worse off than Lupin.

"Mum, Rem…REMUS!" Nymphadora Tonks half-shouted. Before either combatant could recover, she rushed between them, wand up.

"Dora," Andromeda said. "Out of the way. This man, this _beast_, isn't worthy of you."

Tonks refused to budge. Her wand was up and Andromeda did not seem interested in tangling with her Auror daughter.

"Mum, he's a good man," Tonks insisted. "He didn't…"

"Cissy thinks Lucius is a good man too," Andromeda snarled. "And Bella thought the same of Rodolphus. Of course, they still believe all that blood nonsense, so that's no shock."

"He didn't abandon me, Mum. We met up the next day and we've been meeting up ever since."

Andromeda's eyes widened.

"When?" she demanded.

"A lot of the times I was out on Order business, Mum. It doesn't always take that long to scotch a Death Eater, especially if they let their guard down because they think they own the world now."

Andromeda scowled.

"And you hid this from me?"

Now it was Tonks' turn to scowl.

"I distinctly heard the phrase 'Avada Kedavra' at least once tonight," Tonks said. "I know you, Mum."

Andromeda narrowed her eyes. Then she turned to face Lupin.

"If you're such a 'good man,' what exactly are you doing associating with Greyback? That man — and I use the term loosely — brings dishonor on all your kind and I am under the distinct impression that _he bit you_."

Lupin repressed the urge to sigh.

_I was hoping to keep you out of this, lest the Death Eaters capture you and wring the information out._

"I went to Greyback because I had no choice after what I did," Lupin said. "While I was there, I noticed there's discontent in the colony with Greyback's rule and the alliance with the Dark Lord."

He lowered his voice an octave.

"I'm going to find a way to overthrow Greyback and turn the werewolves against the Dark Lord. Harry, Ron, and Hermione are out there somewhere, doing some task Dumbledore assigned them before he died, and they're going to need help, even if they haven't asked for it yet."

Andromeda cocked her head.

"And how do you intend to do this?"

Lupin sighed.

"That's going to be difficult. Greyback built the colony and despite there being more and more doubters, most of the people still love him. The only idea I have so far is pinning the blame on the Death Eaters, but I haven't quite figured out how."

Andromeda looked at him somewhat skeptically.

"And in the meantime, I've been able to find out information about Ted."

Andromeda's eyes widened. Her wand lowered incrementally.

"Ted? Oh, Merlin, is he alive? Is he all right?"

So Lupin told her about his encounter with her fugitive husband and how he allowed them to escape. By the time the tale was done, Andromeda's wand pointed straight at the floor.

"Thank you, Remus," she said quietly. "Thank you so much."

Lupin smiled gamely. "No problem, Mrs. Tonks."

_Now what? My plan to surprise Dora has ended rather badly._

"You know, it might be better if I came back tomorrow," Lupin said.

"Remus, it's late," Andromeda said quickly. "You can stay."

Andromeda's offer lit her daughter's face up like a Christmas tree.

Lupin pondered for a moment.

_Greyback and Wolf will probably suspect where you've been and tease you mercilessly. Of course, since you're training Greyback's army, that'll be the worst they do._

He looked at his wife.

_Andromeda's right. You_ did _abandon her._

"Okay," he said. "I think I can do that."

Tonks rushed over and hugged him. Andromeda smiled, then moved to go back upstairs. Lupin's curiosity got the better of him.

"One more thing," he began.

Andromeda turned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"How exactly did you know it was me coming in?"

Andromeda smiled, pride obvious in her face.

"I rigged our defenses to detect specific people — Bella, for example, or you — and to detect if someone was trying to remove them. I was down here before you had the door open."

_Clever._

"A prudent move, Mrs. Tonks."

Andromeda smiled.

"You can call me Mum."

She disappeared up the stairs. A moment later, Tonks yawned.

"Remus, it is getting late. C'mon."

She took his hand and pulled him up the stairs towards her room, a room Lupin noticed was furnished with a fair bit of salvage from their house.

_I remember that painting_, Lupin thought when he saw the image of some trees near a pond hanging on the wall across from Tonks' bed. He'd bought it from a werewolf would-be artist, who was even poorer than Lupin himself, years ago.

Tonks shut the door, set her wand on the nightstand, and peeled off her plain robe to reveal her colorful tie-dyed pajamas. She pulled back the sheets, climbed in bed, and beckoned him to follow. Lupin felt himself stirring.

_It has been awhile. And it'd be a nice way to work off the stress from tonight's close brush with death._

Lupin walked over and sat beside his wife on the bed. He slid an arm around her, pulled her close, and whispered in her ear.

"You know," he said mischievously. "It has been awhile."

Tonks tensed a little.

"With Mum down the hall?"

Something laughed inside Lupin.

_All the more fun, knowing we could get caught._

Of course, given Tonks' reaction to the last time he proposed sex, her comfort was more important than his amusement.

"There are ways around that," he said with a wink. He gestured with his wand, laying a Silencing Charm around the room.

"A…all right," Tonks said.

November 10th, 1997 AD

12:45 AM

"Oh Merlin," Tonks murmured sometime later. "How I've missed this."

She tightened her arms and legs around him. Lupin patted her bare shoulder.

"Me too, Dora. Me too."


	34. Advice and Counsel

**Advice and Counsel**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

November 15th, 1997 AD

3 PM

"The Wilsons have been talking to me about what you've been doing with their son," Fenrir Greyback said.

_Oh dear_, Remus Lupin thought.

He'd been telling Jack tales of his own youth with the Marauders in order to hopefully undermine the nonsense the boy's parents had been filling his head with about all non-werewolves being evil.

_If Greyback finds out about that, I'm dead._

"They really appreciate it," Greyback continued. "Jack greatly admires you."

_Oh good._

Lupin repressed the urge to sigh in relief.

"That gave me an idea. If you can help one boy adjust, surely you can help others."

_Is he suggesting what I think he's suggesting?_

"I've been lycanthropizing many of the most promising Muggleborn prisoners we've taken, sending only the most worthless ones to Umbridge. As you probably expect, a lot of them aren't happy about this."

Greyback snorted, then started pacing the room.

"Bloody ingrates. If it weren't for this, they'd be snogging a Dementor in Azkaban or being used for Cruciatus practice by that fat harridan."

Greyback whirled, making Lupin jump.

"If you can help one kid adjust, perhaps you can help some of the new inductees do the same."

Greyback reached into his robes and pulled out a list.

"Here're the first ten or so," the senior werewolf said.

Lupin allowed himself to smile.

_That's potentially ten more conspirators. At this rate, I'll have a bloody army._

November 15th, 1997 AD

7 PM

"He's dropped a present right into our bloody laps," Taylor Andrews said. "These aren't people who've lived here their whole lives — they lived like normal people until the Death Eaters and Greyback interfered."

Lupin smiled.

"Yes. I think we've found several more members for our plot."

"We must be careful, though," Lykos said. "They might be grateful to Greyback for protecting them from Umbridge. She's a much worse taskmaster than he is."

Lupin nodded.

"True."

"Also," Lykos said. "I've heard Wolf and Greyback talking to that Parker fellow about your training. I think they've got people reporting to him about you, still."

Lupin frowned.

_Just as I suspected._

"A spy we know about that he doesn't know we know about is an asset," Lupin said. "We can use him to feed them false information."

_Just like Greyback used me, before the Ministry fell. Fate loves a jest and irony is the funniest of all._

"And if necessary, we can arrange for him to die gloriously in battle," Andrews said. "Uriah the Hittite and all."

"Who's that?" Lykos asked.

"He's from the Bible. The king knocked up his wife and tried to arrange for him to shag her to cover it up. When that didn't work, the king arranged for him to be abandoned in the face of the enemy, then married the grieving widow shortly thereafter."

"Ah."

"You've got a good point, Connor," Lupin said. "Perhaps I can give you the list of the Muggleborns Greyback is sending me and you can see if they're spending too much time with Greyback or Wolf."

Lykos nodded.

"Good idea. Best stretch out the 'counseling' sessions a bit too, in order to give me time to figure out who's up to something."

November 16th, 1997 AD

9:30 AM

Lupin sat at the desk in the makeshift office Greyback had set up for him at the colony. Sitting in front of him was Cedric Rawlings.

_Greyback caught this one himself, in Glasgow soon after the trials began. Killed a Snatcher before he was caught, something Greyback liked. Brought him back to the colony that very night and had Wolf bite him at the next full moon._

He smiled inwardly, then leaned forward in his chair.

"Greyback tells me you're having trouble adjusting to life as a werewolf," Lupin began.

"You're bloody well right," Rawlings replied.

Lupin repressed a smile.

_This one's got spirit. I can use that._

Rawlings continued.

"It's not like I'm not glad I can still carry a wand and can walk the streets now without fear of some Death Eater or common criminal coming after me," he said. Then his limbs started trembling. "But sod all! I'm a bloody werewolf now! I'm a danger to myself and…"

"No," Lupin interrupted. "No, you're not."

Rawlings rolled his eyes.

"Why the hell not? Every full moon…"

"Not if you're taking Wolfsbane," Lupin replied. "And our Death Eater allies have been so kind…"

"And that's another problem! I'm not bloody stupid, I can see the Death Eaters are in control now! Why else did the Ministry go from protecting people like me from the Death Eaters to persecuting us?"

_I wonder if Wolf had words with him before they sent him to me. They've been cracking down on anyone who questions the alliance with Voldemort._

Rawlings leaned forward, eyes bulging.

"I heard you were a member of the Order of the Phoenix before what happened to your wife. How can you be fighting your old friends for your enemy?"

Lupin leaned forward.

"Not so loudly," he hissed.

Rawlings rolled his eyes.

"It's common knowledge, that."

Lupin locked eyes with the other man. As he did so, he remembered he had a built-in way to ensure Rawlings' professed horror at his condition was genuine. His hand dropped to the wand on his desk.

_Legilimens!_

Lupin forced his way into the man's mind. He saw Rawlings clawing at himself as he transformed beneath the white eye of the full moon, trying futilely — as Lupin often did himself — to force his body back into its proper shape. He saw him weeping as he looked at a snapshot of himself, his wife, and their two little girls, a family he thought would reject him as a monster if they saw him again. He saw Rawlings glare at Greyback and Wolf when their backs were turned, soon after Wolf beat Andrews for speaking against Voldemort.

Suddenly, white hot rage rose around Lupin and he found himself back in his body. Rawlings glared at him, tensed and ready to spring.

"Sodding mind-rapist," Rawlings growled. "You're no bloody better than any of them…"

"No!" Lupin interrupted. "There was a very good reason I did that."

Rawlings scowled.

"And what might that be?"

Lupin cast a Silencing Charm on the door.

"The other members of the Order — my dear wife excepted — might count me as a traitor, but I still consider myself a member. And I've got a plan."

Rawlings narrowed his eyes.

"You want to kill Fenrir Greyback?"

"That's phase one," Lupin said. "The second phase is to seize control of the entire pack. The third phase is to openly join with the Order against the Death Eaters."

He did not mention Harry and his friends. Whatever they were doing, the less people know about it, the better.

"And then what?" Rawling interrupted. "Assuming we win, we go back to the way things were? You of all people should know that's a bad idea."

Lupin shook his head.

"No. If need be, we can fight to make sure things aren't the way they were."

_You can't change minds with force, but you can control actions. If Kingsley or the free Wizangamot think they can restore Umbridge's laws once again, they've got another thing coming._

Rawlings narrowed his eyes.

"You really think we could fight the Death Eaters? Fight the Dark Lord?"

"Not right now," Lupin said. "But Greyback has me training many of us in advanced magic. We might be only able to terrorize civilians now, but I'll make sure that will change."

Rawlings regarded Lupin.

"I don't like the Death Eaters or Greyback," he said. "But how do you propose to pull this off? How many people have you got?"

"Thus far, I've got two co-conspirators," Lupin said. "But Greyback has given me a very fine gift — those of you Greyback has snatched from Umbridge. You hate your condition, meaning you're not going to support Greyback's werewolf-supremacy nonsense, but you also hate the Ministry and the Dark Lord, both of which would otherwise be hunting you as a Muggleborn."

Rawlings nodded.

"And what would you have me do?"

Lupin pondered that for a moment.

_All you've really thought of thus far is that you plan to pin the blame for Greyback's death on Voldemort, to get Greyback's supporters on your side and avoid a civil war._

"I'll need you to be a good little soldier and rise in the ranks. I want our people in as high position as possible, so when the time comes, we can be as swift and lethal as the coup that brought down Scrimgeour."

"All right. But how would you do it?"

Lupin's mind whirred.

"We need to do it in such a way that it can be blamed on the Death Eaters," Lupin said. "Just who did it has to be secret — the goal is to turn Greyback's followers against the Dark Lord, not fight a battle that would leave the pack gutted, a battle we would probably lose."

Rawlings looked at Lupin.

"Seems risky."

"The alternative is allowing the Death Eaters and their Ministry puppets to finish off the Order of the Phoenix and then turn on us. Not such a big risk when weighed against that, now is it?"

Rawlings was silent for a moment.

"All right," he said. "I'm in. But how will we avoid getting caught?"

Lupin smiled.

"You'll see. Connor?"

Connor Lykos emerged from an alcove where he'd been hiding. Rawlings looked uneasy — clearly he didn't expect to have anyone listening in on him.

_A bit inconvenient for him to be sticking around like this, but when we do have a new conspirator, it means we can bring him in quickly._

"That was pretty quick," Lykos commented. "I thought we agreed to sound out our prospective allies carefully?"

"Between his own words and my Legilimency, I think this one's a pretty obvious ally," Lupin said.

Lykos nodded.

He then turned his attention back to Rawlings.

"I know the cost of betrayal all too well," Lupin said. "You will need to swear an Unbreakable Vow to me. Connor will be the Bonder."

Rawlings recoiled.

"Wait…an Unbreakable Vow?"

"If we're found out, we're _all_ dead," Lupin said. "Two of my best friends died and one spent much of his life unjustly imprisoned because someone sold them out to the Dark Lord. I know the cost of treason, Cedric. It's paid for in blood."

Lupin nodded toward Lykos.

"If you back out now, we have two options. The first one is to wipe your memory and come up with some kind of replacement for what just transpired, but neither Connor nor I are professional Obliviators. The easiest option would be to kill you and claim self-defense. After all, you did nearly attack me a few minutes ago."

_I really, really hope I don't have to do that. But I can't let him blow the plan and risk the future of the entire pack._

Rawlings looked from Lykos to Lupin and back.

"All right then. Let's do this."


	35. Collecting Mudbloods

**Collecting Mudbloods**

by Matthew and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **The description of Ye Liu Chutsai is from the essay "On Thud and Blunder," which is a very helpful resource for those who would like to write heroic fantasy.

November 24th, 1997 AD

12:15 PM

Remus Lupin drew a breath.

_Five Muggleborns who've been living by banditry. Greyback wants me to flush them out._

The senior werewolf had yanked Lupin away from training the army and dispatched two groups of fighters, one under his command and the other under the command of Connor Lykos, to attack the Muggleborns.

_Does he know? Does he want Connor and I kept away from the rank-and-file?_

That would limit their ability to recruit new allies for their plot, but at the same time, it meant they could still be used in pursuit of the senior werewolf's evil schemes.

Lupin shook his head.

_I doubt Greyback is that subtle._

Lupin and the five werewolves under his command marched through the skeletal forests towards an abandoned house. On the other side of the house, Lupin knew Lykos and his werewolves approached.

"What do we do when we get there?" Andrew Parker, one of Lupin's trainees and an associate of Phillip Wolf, demanded.

"You'll see," Lupin said.

_However much I'd like to send you in first, too many casualties under my command will limit my ability to advance and raise awkward questions. I'll have to keep this one clean and deal with you later._

"I'll take point, if you'd like," Parker continued. "I'll kick the damn door down."

"Perhaps someday," Lupin said. "But I've got a way to force them out of the house, reduce their defensive advantage."

Lupin could detect spells on the house that would fortify it against magical attack. He knew setting the roof on fire like he'd done with that government official so long ago wasn't going to work.

_Or will it?_

He'd been studying the books he'd retrieved from 12 Grimmauld Place. He'd learned some interesting tricks.

He brought his hand to his mouth.

_Only use a little. The more you produce the harder it is to control._

He blew, mentally reciting the necessary incantations as his breath crossed the palm of his hand.

As his breath passed over his fingers into the open air, it ignited. The fire expanded into a long snake that reached out towards the roof.

_Why did it have to be a snake? Too damn Slytherin for my taste._

"Wow," Parker said next to him.

Lupin tried to shut the junior werewolf out of his perception. He held the Fiendfyre in a tight mental grip, but the raging magic would escape him given half the chance.

_Around the roof once, then down through the window._

The snake extended, coiling itself around the roof. The Muggleborns' magical defenses checked it for brief seconds before the shingles the fire touched burst into flames.

The fiery serpent slithered down towards the window, its presence igniting the frame and melting the glass. It slithered inside and moments later, fire shattered all the windows on the top floor. Shouts and screams erupted from inside the house, including two different particularly soul-ripping wails that could only mean someone was being consumed.

_Now begone!_

The Fiendfyre had served its purpose and keeping it around longer meant it could consume more of the house and grow out of control, endangering the werewolves. Lupin squeezed with his mind, slowly forcing the fiery snake into a smaller and smaller sphere until it winked out of existence, leaving only ordinary fire behind.

He exhaled in relief.

_Good._

"Be ready," Lupin told Parker. "They'll be coming out soon enough."

Seconds later, two men burst through the front door.

"Now!" Lupin ordered.

Both of the men were Petrified in short order. A clatter erupted on the other side of the house as the remaining Muggleborn managed to put up a fight before being paralyzed.

_That was easy._

Turning over the survivors to the Death Eater-controlled Ministry, however, would not be so easy. It had been a long time since he'd had to do that, and he'd probably need to start taking Dreamless Sleep potions again to keep the horror away at night.

Lupin swallowed.

_All part of the plan. All part of the plan._

November 24th, 1997 AD

1:25 PM

It did not take long for the Ministry to come claim its new prize.

"Remus Lupin," Dolores Umbridge said. "Excellent work."

_Damn you, Umbridge._

She stood before him flanked by two Dementors, a glowing cat pacing about her feet.

The older, fatter woman was responsible for much of the misery in the lives of werewolves, Lupin's in particular. Her laws piled so many burdens on those few who would employ werewolves that it was almost impossible to find legitimate work.

_She also threatened to torture Harry, the harridan._

Lupin forced himself to smile.

"Thank you," he said.

"Three of the five," she commented. "What of the other two?"

"Dead," Lupin said. "Both burnt to ashes."

He gestured to the still-smoking remains of the house. Umbridge eyed him for a moment.

"Good _enough_," she said.

Another Dementor appeared, this one carrying a great sack of gold.

"This _is_ a big enough bone to throw you, isn't?" she asked, her contempt for half-humans creeping into her sickly-sweet voice.

_I hate you._

Lupin forced himself to smile.

"Yes ma'am."

Umbridge smiled indulgently.

"Good," she said, her earlier contempt submerged beneath her usual saccharine tone.

She turned to her Dementors.

"Collect these Mudbloods, please. Do be _gentle_."

Her smile grew as the three spectral horrors picked up the paralyzed Muggleborns in their skeletal hands. The captives — hate-filled eyes locked on Lupin and the others — were borne away. As he had done before, Lupin forced himself to stand aside, repressing his instinct to fight against the injustice being perpetrated, as the three fugitives were taken to their awful fate.

Umbridge smiled at Lupin.

"Good dog," she said.

Then she Disapparated.

Lupin grit his teeth.

November 24th, 1997 AD

2 PM

"You don't want to be sent on any more Snatcher missions?" Fenrir Greyback asked Lupin, who had made his request after delivering the senior werewolf his share of the Ministry's gold.

Lupin slowly nodded, repressing his fear.

"I feel my skills would be best suited elsewhere," he said.

Phillip Wolf, who stood beside Greyback's desk, chuckled.

"Soft," he mocked. "Soft and _weak_."

"Got a weak stomach there, Lupin?" Greyback echoed.

Lupin refused to rise to the evil werewolves' bait.

_Got to keep cool._

"Tell me, Fenrir, do you still intend on seizing control of the wizarding world?"

Wolf tensed at Lupin's use of his master's first name, but Greyback stood him down with a gesture.

"Aye," he said. "Never given up on that."

"Well then, if you want to have a genuine government, you're going to need trained, educated personnel."

Greyback raised an eyebrow.

"What are you getting at?"

"I would like to set up a school, a sort of Hogwarts for werewolves, in the colony."

Greyback laughed.

"You aping Ye Liu Chutsai?"

_Whatever is he getting at?_

"Who might that be, sir?"

"He was a Muggle Chinese official who followed around the Mongols, giving them advice and limiting the damage they did. 'A civilized man influencing an uncivilized conqueror' is how some described him."

The older werewolf looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think it was him who told the Mongols it would be in their best interest to tax the Chinese cities they conquered rather than level the region and turn it into pasturage for their horses."

Greyback fell silent.

"You'll have your school, and I'll make damn sure every child in the colony attends. But after you complete one more Snatcher mission, of course."

_What's a little more blood on my hands?_

"I can probably take your place anyway. Being in charge is nice, but there's so much more _paperwork_," he said, gesturing to the materials strewn across his desk. "It's been a long time since I've gone out and gotten my hands dirty."

_Oh dear._

Greyback would be a much more _enthusiastic_ Snatcher than Lupin. For a moment, Lupin reconsidered his request, hoping he could do less damage than the senior werewolf.

_No. If you change your mind right away, he'll get suspicious._

He sighed inwardly.

_All part of the plan._


	36. Finding Father in Law

**Finding Father-in-Law**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

November 27th, 1997 AD

2 PM

Remus Lupin and his band of Snatchers crossed over the snow-dusted ground in the wooded country between Norwich and Cambridge.

_There've been reports of a man living rough in the woods. It might be someone we're looking for._

He hoped it wasn't Ted Tonks. When he last encountered his father-in-law, Ted had been traveling with a goblin, Dean Thomas, and a man Lupin did not recognize. If the man turned out to be Ted, that meant Dean, the goblin, and the other man had likely come to sticky ends.

Lupin particularly worried about Dean. The others were seasoned adults, but Dean was barely of age.

Of course, if it was the man that Lupin did not know, then that meant it was _Ted_ who came to a sticky end…

Lupin shook his head.

_Worrying about this now will not help anything._

The group continued walking, passing under some skeletal trees. They made their way deeper into the woods for what was probably a mile.

Lupin kept his wand pointed ahead of him, repeating the Revealing Charm. Thus far, they hadn't found anyone at all…

Then he saw tracks. They were faint, but they looked fresh. Based on the tread, these weren't the sort of shoes one would hike in and they were getting a bit worn.

_Looks like we've found our fugitive. Hopefully we _won't_ catch him._

"Stay here," he told the others. "I'll go check this out."

Most of the Snatchers obeyed him, except for one.

"Sir," Andrew Parker said. "Why are you going after it by yourself? Could be a dangerous Mudblood, or a group of them if they're careful."

Lupin shook his head.

"There've only been reports of one, and these tracks don't look like a group." He paused for effect. "If I don't come back, you're in charge."

That shut Parker up real fast.

Lupin set off after the tracks. He followed them through the skeletal wood until he had lost sight of his group. The trail continued for a quarter mile, skirting a couple of hills that rose uncomfortably close to the top of the trees. They descended into a ravine, then led straight into the wall.

_Odd._

Lupin looked closely. Something about the side of the hill seemed unreal. Most wizards would not have figured it out, but he could.

_Whoever's here has used magical concealment._

He waved his wand and the landscape vanished, revealing a cave mouth. Lupin would have to duck to fit inside, but he could fit. A quick Revealing Charm showed him there was someone inside the cave, although he could not quite discern where. Raising his wand, he entered the cave.

He hadn't gone far when something big erupted out of the darkness. Lupin and his attacker tumbled. Lupin stabbed with his wand, but his opponent — it was a man, Lupin was sure — grabbed for Lupin's wrist with a wiry strength probably born of desperation. Lupin held onto his wand, but wasn't able to point it at anything other than the ceiling.

Unable to hex his target, he at least he could get a good idea of who it was.

_Lumos!_

The cave lit up, revealing Lupin's attacker was none other than Ted Tonks.

"Oh," Ted said, relaxing his grip. "It's you."

He scrambled off Lupin. This enabled Lupin to get a good look at him.

Ted Tonks used to be a big-bellied man, but the months on the run had been cruel to him. He'd been thinner when he was traveling with the others, but now that he was alone, he looked positively bony.

"So," Ted said. "How'd you find me?"

"I found tracks while leading a Snatcher patrol in the area," Lupin said. "If I could find it, so could others. It's my last mission as a Snatcher, so I won't be able to protect you or anyone else from them."

"Damn it," the elder Tonks said. "Looks like I'll have to move again. And it's when we move that we run into trouble."

_Hold on. I've got an idea._

"Not necessarily," Lupin said.

Ted cocked his head.

"What'd you mean?"

"If you'd like to stay here, but don't want to be found, we can always set up a Fidelius Charm."

Ted nodded.

"That could be a good idea. But it didn't work out well with the Potters, did it?"

"That's because their Secret-Keeper betrayed them. If you're the Secret-Keeper for your own hiding spot, only you can tell others where it is."

"That seems like a good idea," Ted said.

_However, if Ted is Secret-Keeper, that means I can't tell Dora or Andromeda about where their father and husband is hiding. Andromeda in particular misses him greatly._

"I think that I should be your Secret-Keeper, though. That why, I can bring Andromeda and Dora to see you."

Ted leaned forward.

"How are they doing?" he asked suddenly. "I've got a small radio here and I've been listening to 'Potterwatch,' but I've heard no mention of them."

"They're fine," Lupin said. "Dora's active in the war effort, disguising herself to assassinate Death Eaters."

Ted smiled.

"That's my girl," he said.

Ted then roundly sneezed.

"You all right?" Lupin asked. Ted shook his head.

"I've got the flu, it seems."

He gestured to himself.

"As you can no doubt tell, I haven't been eating too well either. I've been lying low as much as possible since the bastards caught up to us…"

That suddenly reminded Lupin of Dean, the goblin, and the other man.

_Oh bugger!_

"What happened?"

"The bastards caught up with us near Chipping Camden," Ted elaborated. "They killed Dirk, took Dean and Griphook."

He swallowed.

"At least that's what I think happened. We kind of scattered when the Snatchers came. I know Dirk got a Killing Curse in the chest and I think the other two were still moving when the Snatchers carried them off."

Lupin swore inwardly. He didn't know what the Ministry would do with a runaway goblin, but Dean was likely headed for Azkaban.

"I'm sorry," Lupin said.

Ted dismissed his words with a wave.

"Don't be. It's not your fault what happened."

Ted sneezed again.

"You know," Lupin said. "I could always bring you some vitamins and Pepper-Up Potion."

_If he's not eating well, the flu could kill him. Best bring some food too._

Ted smiled.

"Thanks. Could you just bring me the ingredients, though? I'm bored as all hell in here when I don't hear something moving outside. Brewing it would give me something to do."

"I can do that," Lupin said. "I can also bring you some food."

Ted's eyes widened at the mention of food.

"Thanks," he said. "That'd be really nice."

"But first," Lupin said. "There is the matter of the Fidelius Charm."

November 27th, 1997 AD

2:30 PM

Once Ted's hiding place was supernaturally hidden, Lupin returned to where he had left the group. Only two of the Snatchers were still there.

"The others are following the tracks in the other direction, to see where the man came from," one of them said. "They should be back soon."

Lupin did not have long to wait. Parker and two more men returned.

"The tracks go on for a mile or more, then stop abruptly," Parker reported. "It appears whoever it was Apparated in."

Lupin nodded.

"Ah. It appears the man who was here has an Apparition license, then, or at least knows how to do it."

"What'd you find?" Parker asked.

"The tracks were old," Lupin said. "They eventually vanished. Whoever it was who was here is long gone."

He'd Vanished away the tracks leading to the cave, just to be on the safe side.

The other werewolves nodded.

"Let's go, then," one of them said. "There're Mudbloods to catch."

Lupin noted Parker eying him suspiciously.

_Oh dear._

Between the fact he was Greyback and Wolf's mole in the training sessions and now this, Lupin decided that this one needed the "Uriah the Hittite" treatment sooner rather than later.

_Of course, there will be fewer opportunities now that I'm not a commander of Snatchers anymore. I'll have to plan this very carefully._


	37. Molding the Next Generation

**Molding the Next Generation**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay. I've been busy with a family vacation and job stuff.

December 2nd, 1997 AD

1:30 PM

"Now," Remus Lupin began. "Who can tell me about grindylows?"

It was his third day teaching at the school he had established for the children of the werewolf colony (when he could get away from training Greyback's army, of course). Lupin had set it up so there would be a very basic curriculum from 8 AM until 11 AM and then Hogwarts-level education from noon until 3 PM.

_I'd have liked to do everything Hogwarts level, but the level of teaching around here is rather spotty._

Most of Britain's wizarding population home-schooled their children prior to sending them to Hogwarts, but most British wizards were Hogwarts-educated themselves and could do a good job of it. The situation in the werewolf colony was far more varied, with some of the colony's children barely even able to read!

One boy raised his hand.

"They live at the bottom of lakes," he said. "They have green teeth and horns and long fingers that they use to pull prey into the water."

Lupin smiled.

"Very good."

Behind the boy, another, bigger boy snickered.

"Teacher's _pet_," he hissed, apparently unaware Lupin could hear him.

Lupin frowned. The second boy was the son of one of Greyback's lieutenants and was fond of harassing the other children.

_Like a little Malfoy, only less intelligent._

At least he was easier than some of the others to deal with. The daughter of another lieutenant was quiet and attentive in class, but she displayed a rather unsettling interest in Dark Magic. At one point after class, she asked when they would they would learn about how to cast curses.

_If I can permanently settle this one down, he'll be fine. She'll be trickier, in the long run. Best find her a healthier outlet, lest she turn into a little Snape._

"Now," Lupin continued. "Has anyone been successfully able to domesticate grindylows?"

Jack raised his hand.

"Merpeople," he said. "They keep them as pets."

The lieutenant's bullying-prone son snickered again. Lupin pondered calling on him, to embarrass him a bit, but he didn't want the boy's wrath to fall on the other children outside of class.

_Of course, I can always teach the other children certain hexes and not teach him. If he tries to cause trouble, the others will then put him in his place._

That could mean then that the boy would be the target of revenge-driven bullying from the other students. Lupin's ideal was that nobody bully anyone at all.

Guilt flickered at the back of his mind about some of the activities he had been involved in, particularly in regards to Snape.

_You're older and wiser now. Don't wallow in regret. Instead learn from what you did wrong._

"Very good, Jack. Where do they live?"

The boy was quiet for a moment.

"I don't know," he admitted sheepishly.

The bully snickered again.

"Thomas," Lupin said, raising his voice slightly. "Could you tell me what's funny?"

The bully spoke with a candor that indicated he did not expect any punishment.

"Who cares about grindylows?" he asked. "There don't seem to be any around here."

"That is _possible_," Lupin replied. "But there are some in the Black Lake at Hogwarts. Someday you may all go there, and it would be good to be prepared."

He looked straight at Thomas.

"You don't want to be careless by the lake and get pulled into the water and _eaten_, do you?"

The boy swallowed.

"No," he said, somewhat more quietly.

Lupin smiled.

"Good."

Lupin spent the next half an hour teaching the class all he knew about grindylows, then announced a trip to a lake near the colony for the students to look for them.

_That will give them some hands-on experience in dealing with them, if there are indeed any at the lake._

"Does everyone who is old enough have their wands?" he asked.

Prior to Voldemort's takeover, Greyback had secured wands for all the adults in the colony, but there weren't enough wands to go around for the children, even those who would be old enough to attend Hogwarts. Lupin had arranged for all children aged eleven or older to receive wands, a move he knew made him quite popular among the parents in the colony.

Lupin repressed the urge to smile at how this would make his plan to ultimately replace Greyback easier.

_Best not make yourself too prominent too quickly, or else Greyback and Wolf will suspect something._

Lupin remembered there was a Muggle tyrant who told another Muggle tyrant how he kept in control by killing the best and most prominent men in the community rather than general repression. Greyback was more knowledgeable about Muggle and magical history than he let on — the reference to the Chinese Muggle who restrained the Mongols proved it — and Lupin did not want to give him the chance to apply more sanguinary political lessons.

The children filed out of the classroom and Lupin lead them beneath the great arching doorway, through the free-fire zone that surrounded the colony, and into the woods. There were some small lakes nearby, with a much larger lake about half a mile away.

_Best get them started on some easy ponds before we move onto something big_, Lupin thought. _Plus a thorough exploration of some of the bigger ponds will likely require gillyweed or something else that will let them breathe water._

As they made their way through the woods, Jack edged closer to Lupin.

"Thank you for teaching this class," he said.

Lupin smiled.

"You're welcome," he said.

The boy's face brow furrowed with worry for a second.

"Are you sure I'll someday be able to attend Hogwarts?" he asked.

Lupin nodded.

"Positive," he said.

"When Greyback's won?" Jack asked. "When we're in charge and can do whatever we want?"

Lupin repressed a frown.

_It seems like my lessons haven't countered the Wilsons' brainwashing, at least not enough._

He knew he had to be very careful here. If Jack let something slip, the Wilsons would complain to Greyback, who would come down on Lupin or — Merlin forbid — Dora.

He decided on a nice, neutral way to put it.

"Someday, Jack, you will be able to attend Hogwarts with students who are werewolves and students who are not. Everyone will be nice to everyone, regardless of whether they're afflicted with lycanthropy or not."

_I'll make bloody well sure of it._


	38. Some Like It Hot

**Some Like It Hot**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

December 8th, 1997 AD

4 PM

Fenrir Greyback leaned back in his big chair.

"You've been doing a good job training the werewolf army," he said. "And this school of yours has been working out very well, much better than I expected. The parents all love it, and it's turned into a big morale booster in the colony."

Remus Lupin smiled gamely.

"Thank you, sir."

Greyback leaned forward.

"There is, however, something that's lacking."

Lupin swallowed.

_Uh oh._

"There's a particular kind of Dark Magic I think the werewolves should know, something that most Death Eaters don't."

He looked at Lupin.

"I think it's something you might be aware of."

"What might that be, sir?"

Greyback grinned.

"Fiendfyre."

_Oh dear._

Either Greyback was rifling through Lupin's grotto when he was away or Yaxley had clued him in on the books Lupin had taken out of 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Sir, I don't know if Fiendfyre is an entirely safe thing to be teaching the werewolves," Lupin said hesitantly. "It's very difficult to control…"

"I think the army should have challenges to equal their abilities," Greyback said. "They've been doing quite well with you as their trainer and I think they're up for it."

_He's getting overconfident. That could be a bad thing._

"Sir, in the best interests of the colony, I must prot…"

"You know," Greyback interrupted. "I'm sure you miss not seeing your wife every day. If I were married to that piece, I sure would."

A wistful, lustful expression briefly crossed the senior werewolf's face. Lupin's heart sank.

_Oh Merlin. He's probably going to try to threaten her to make me do something again._

"And I was thinking, if we made her a werewolf, she could come live in the colony with you without causing any undue problems."

He looked straight at Lupin.

"You know, there's a full moon coming up."

Lupin paled.

_All part of the plan_, he told himself. _All part of the plan._

"Very well, sir," Lupin said. "But I must warn you, Fiendfyre is still exceedingly dangerous and difficult to control. It gave me problems the one time I used it, and I'm one of the better wizards in the colony."

Greyback looked at Lupin for a moment.

"A fair point," he said.

"Therefore," Lupin continued. "I think only the most talented wizards in our army should be taught Fiendfyre. Furthermore, we'll need a special area designated for the use of Fiendfyre, one of the farthest parts of the free-fire zone probably."

Greyback nodded.

"Very well," the senior werewolf said. "I want you to pick out the best candidates within three days and start teaching it within five."

"Yes sir."

December 8th, 1997 AD

6:30 PM

"Fiendfyre," Connor Lykos repeated. "Fiendfyre."

Lupin nodded.

"One of the most dangerous forms of Dark Magic."

He and his fellow conspirators had assembled in the snow-dusted free-fire zone outside the colony, well away from prying ears. He and Lykos had disguised their meetings as additional training and planning sessions, so he doubted that many people would care.

"Sod all," Cedric Rawlings said. "I've heard of Fiendfyre. If enough werewolves can use it, we'll be more powerful than the bloody Death Eaters."

Lupin regarded Rawlings.

_He's already thinking of himself as a werewolf. This isn't good._

"That assumes somebody doesn't accidentally burn the colony to the ground," Lupin cautioned. "It's _very_ dangerous."

"You know," Rawlings said. "This might be a deniable way to kill off You-Know-Who."

"The Dark Lord?" Taylor Andrews asked. "That'd be an ambitious project."

Rawlings shook his head.

"The _other_ You-Know-Who."

"Ah."

"And how would you do this?" Lupin asked. "You can't just tell Fiendfyre to kill a particular person and dissipate. At least I don't know how."

Rawlings fell silent for a moment.

"True. However, what if there's some way to contain it until it's done its job, then drive it away?"

Now it was Lupin's turn to be quiet. Rawlings' idea had set wheels turning in his brain.

_If it could be contained. Fiendfyre in a container, when released, would function like a Muggle firebomb._

And if one of the conspirators was nearby when it was released, they could control it while it incinerated one Fenrir Greyback.

"Do we make it look like an accident, then?" Lykos asked. "Have him come see us practice with it? We could take him out within a week."

Lupin shook his head.

"Too obvious, given my previous affiliation," he said. "In any case, we _want_ someone to blame — the Death Eaters. Just not us."

Andrews looked thoughtful for a moment.

"You know," he said. "There are people in Greyback's inner circle who are true believers in the Dark Lord. They say he wants equal rights for all magical beings, he wants us to come out of hiding."

Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"The perfect scapegoats. How powerful are they in magic?"

"I don't know," Andrews said. "I know Joseph Marshall's pretty good. Tabitha Alexander might be too."

Gears resumed turning in Lupin's mind.

"I think all of us should participate in this class," he said. "As should those two. We'll get some better wizards out of this, and some convenient scapegoats."

"We should test our theory out before we make our move," Lykos cautioned. "If it fails, as you said earlier, it might destroy the entire colony."

"A fair point," Lupin replied. "I wonder how we could test it out without possibly implicating ourselves…"

The thought hit Lupin like a lightning bolt.

_Dora._


	39. Spreading the Word

**Spreading the Word**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

December 10th, 1997 AD

5:30 PM

Connor Lykos looked at his beat-up pocket-watch.

"It's been five minutes. Is she in the habit of being late?"

Remus Lupin shook his head.

"No," he said. "No, she isn't."

Worry nibbled at the corner's of Lupin's soul as the two werewolves stood in the snowy clearing in the midst of the forest, waiting for the Auror.

_Bellatrix is out there somewhere. The Death Eaters managed to get into the Tonks house once and that means Bellatrix could do it._

Something CRACKED in the trees beyond where they could see. Something crunched in the snow and a moment later, Tonks stumbled out of the woods. Her hair, Lupin noticed, was still mousy brown.

"You okay?" Lupin asked.

Tonks nodded.

"Just fine. Had a little close call there."

_Oh dear._

Lupin's eyes widened incrementally.

"What kind of close call? Was Bellatrix involved?"

Tonks shook her head.

"Nope. I was tailing a Death Eater through Muggle London and wasn't paying a lot of attention to my surroundings. I got hit by a Muggle car."

_Oh bugger!_

"You all right?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I Apparated out just in time. I think I got bruised from the bumper" — she rubbed her thigh to accentuate the point — "but I'm otherwise fine."

"We should check to be sure," Lykos said. "It's possible you might have a hairline fracture, or a bone-bruise that will make it more difficult for you to walk."

"I already did the basic healing spell," she said. "It doesn't hurt."

"All right," Lykos said. "I'm Connor Lykos, by the way."

"Cool," Tonks said, coming over and pumping Lykos' hand. "I'm Tonks, by the way."

"Not Nympha—"

"No," Tonks said firmly. "Just Tonks."

Lykos shrugged.

"All right."

Lykos then turned to Lupin.

"Okay," Lykos said. "You wanted us to meet up with your wife. I assume this has to do with our plan?"

Lupin nodded.

"The Order has been putting Dora's shape-shifting talents to good use, deploying her as an assassin against the Death Eaters. I believe this gives us an opportunity for testing out the device we plan on using against Greyback."

"A Fiendfyre bomb," Tonks said. "Great idea."

"In order for this to work, you need to be properly trained in the use of Fiendfyre. All you really need to do is remove the containment wards and dissipate the Fiendfyre once it's gone, but it's best to have the full skill set just to be safe."

"And you both are going to show me how to do it?"

Lupin shook his head.

"Given security concerns, I don't want a hint of your involvement to get back to Greyback. I brought Connor so you can see what he looks like."

Tonks nodded. Her features swirled and standing before them was another Connor, wearing Tonks' clothes.

Lykos reddened. Lupin hid a smile.

"Does this make me a drag queen?" she asked, in Lykos' voice.

Lykos turned even redder.

"I would assume so," Lupin said.

Tonks shifted back to her normal appearance.

"Besides," Lupin continued. "If dear Bellatrix" — Tonks hair turned bright red at the mention of her evil aunt — "should come around, you won't be in any danger."

"Good point," Tonks said, keeping the hatred in her voice to a necessary minimum.

Lupin stepped back.

"Do you know the incantations for Fiendfyre?" he asked.

Tonks nodded.

"I read over them when you made the suggestion."

"Let's try them out."

December 15th, 1997 AD

6 PM

"Whew," Tonks said as she slumped to the ground, sweat and ash streaking her-disguised-as-Lykos face. "That was quite a workout."

"Agreed," Lupin said.

The two of them had spent the last few days training with Fiendfyre. Tonks certainly had the talent to handle the Dark Magic, but she lacked Lupin's experience. Lupin was inclined to take it slowly, lest his wife be accidentally injured or killed by an uncontrolled Fiendfyre manifestation.

_Of course, she is an Auror. She's not some rookie playing with fire._

"Once you've rested a moment," he continued. "I want you to conjure Fiendfyre again, but only a limited amount."

He gestured to what appeared to be a shoebox, which he had liberally slathered with spells that should theoretically contain the Fiendfyre.

"Now," he said.

Tonks brought her hand to her mouth and blew lightly. Her breath ignited into a stream swimming with serpents.

"Put it in the box. I've ensorcelled it so it should contain it, at least for a tec."

Tonks guided the fire into the box. Lupin slammed down the lid on it just as Tonks released it and the serpents started looking around for a place to go. Lupin held onto the box for a moment, ready to dissipate the Fiendfyre the moment it escaped.

Nothing happened. The box felt slightly warm, but that was about it.

Lupin felt a slow grin spreading across his face.

_This just might work._

"All right," Lupin said, setting the shoebox on the ground and stepped back. "Remove the wards."

Tonks waved her wand. A second later, the shoebox burst into flame, with fiery serpent-heads rising out of the inferno. The heads looked around, as though they were looking for prey. They looked straight at Tonks and the woods behind her.

"Get rid of it!" Lupin half-shouted as the fire surged towards her.

Tonks waved her wand. The Fiendfyre abruptly vanished.

_Yes. This definitely can work._

"Good," Lupin said. "Now, where do you suppose we should test it?"

"I've got an idea," Tonks said.

"Do tell."

"You said Yaxley was hanging around 12 Grimmauld Place?"

_Oh no. I do hope she's not proposing what I think she is._

12 Grimmauld Place was a vital Order base that had been in enemy hands for the last several months, but although they'd trashed it, it didn't look like they'd taken a whole lot out of it. All of Padfoot's stuff was still there, belongings that were now Harry Potter's.

_At least I've got memories of Prongs, Padfoot, and even Wormtail. All Harry has are these mementoes and if Dora wants to do what I think she wants to do, they're going to go up in smoke. We should ask Harry, but we don't know where Harry is._

Lupin slowly nodded.

"If he's there, I'll deliver him a little present."

Tonks grinned, a smile that looked a bit too predatory for Lupin's taste.

_Oh dear._

Though she was certainly a fierce combatant, he'd never recalled her taking this much enjoyment in missions before. He hoped her miscarriage hadn't permanently unleashed his wife's inner Bellatrix.

"You okay?" Lupin asked.

Tonks exhaled.

"I'm fine, Remus. Just, since I miscarried, when I haven't been sad, I've been mad as all hell. The missions the Order sends me on, they give me a chance to vent, you know."

"On another note, I think I've got an idea on what we should do for Christmas. I think you, your mother and I should have dinner with Ted."

Tonks' eyes lit up and her hair flared pink for the first time since their night together at the Tonks house.

_Thank God and Merlin both, _he thought_, _despite how strange a Lykos with pink hair looked.

He'd taken them to Ted's hiding-spot as soon as he was sure Parker wasn't watching and he knew the women — particularly Andromeda — had been visiting. However, during his and Tonks' brief courtship and their entire married life, they had never had a family meal together.

_Something so normal, under such abnormal circumstances_, he thought. _Christmas in a cave._


	40. Christmas in a Cave

**Christmas in a Cave**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long wait. I had some writer's block with this one.

December 25th, 1997 AD

4 PM

Remus Lupin, his wife Nymphadora Tonks, and her mother Andromeda Black Tonks made their way down the ravine towards the entrance to the cave that only they could see. Tonks carried a stack of wrapped presents, while Andromeda carried hot parcels of food.

Lupin walked ahead of them, wand out. Although the entrance to the cave had been hidden using the Fidelius Charm, it was entirely possible they were being watched.

_Parker suspected I was up to something when I found the cave. He obviously can't see the cave entrance, but he could catch us coming and going._

He made a mental note to find out how the evil werewolf spent his days and slip the information to Tonks for her to take care of the problem, preferably disguised as a Death Eater.

_That would sow the kind of hatred I want to take advantage of when I kill Greyback._

The two women ducked inside the cave, while Lupin watched, wand out. He had used the appropriate charms and did not detect the presence of anyone else, but one could never be too careful.

Taking one last look around, he ducked inside the cave, which was now lit by magically-generated Christmas lights. Ted Tonks and his wife and daughter had finished their hugs and he was helping them move the things they had brought into convenient corners of his little cave.

_It's good to see he's doing better._

The older man was still unhealthily thin, but the food his wife, daughter, and son-in-law had been bringing him had filled him out a bit.

"Thank you all for coming," he said.

"Oh Dad, don't worry about it," Tonks said. "We're your family, and it's Christmas."

He nodded.

"I know. But…"

His voice trailed off. Lupin suspected he was going to bring up the fact that not everyone was having a good Christmas this year, but then realized this would ruin the mood.

"How about we tuck in?" Lupin suggested. "It's about time for Christmas Dinner anyway."

Luckily for him, Greyback had decreed the colony-wide Christmas celebration would be brunch, not dinner. Lupin had been able to attend and though Phillip Wolf had glared mightily, Greyback had given him leave to attend to "other matters" in the evening.

_It didn't help that he winked salaciously when he did so_, Lupin thought, shuddering at the morbid image.

The family all gathered around a large rock that served conveniently as a table. Andromeda opened the large box containing the Christmas goose she and her daughter had prepared — a task they had conspicuously excluded Lupin from, for reasons only they knew — and some spellwork from Andromeda cut the goose into proper portions and transfigured some rocks into plates. Lupin opened the box containing the potatoes and with a wave of his own wand, distributed them to his dinner companions.

The four of them ate. Lupin noticed Ted ate faster and more thoroughly than his wife and daughter, but only slightly.

"More?" he asked when he noticed the older man had finished his potatoes.

"Thank you," Ted said.

It took awhile for the family to finish eating. After the last plate was clean, Ted cleared his throat.

"We have a very important matter to deal with," he said.

Lupin raised his eyebrow.

_What's going on?_

"A matter of great and exceeding importance," Ted continued, looking solemn. "The disposal of the wishbone."

Tonks burst out laughing at this anticlimax.

"I think we should let the young people have their fun," Ted said.

_Young people? I'm nearly 40, not _that_ much younger than you._

"What do you think, 'Dromeda?" Ted continued.

Andromeda nodded.

"Really," Lupin said. "I think you should have it."

"Don't worry, Remus," Andromeda said.

He shrugged.

"All right."

He reached over and grabbed one end of the wishbone. Tonks slid over and took the other. Both of them pulled and the bone cracked, with Lupin ending up with the bigger half.

Tonks grinned despite losing.

"Make a wish," she said.

Lupin regarded the broken bone.

_Victory. Victory over the Dark Lord._

Now that the crucial matter of the wishbone was dealt with, it was time for dessert. Andromeda had insisted on making the mince pies herself, pushing away Lupin's and even Tonks' offer to help

_She said Dora has a tendency to scorch things._

He'd managed to persuade her to at least let him buy the mincemeat, a big help considering how money was getting tight due to Ted not working. Andromeda passed around the pies and all of them dug in, with Ted eating two.

_Can't really blame him._

Now that the meal was over, it was time to distribute gifts. Lupin had bought a gift for each of his three companions, while Andromeda and Tonks had bought gifts for each other, him, and Ted.

Just before anyone had the chance to open their presents, Ted cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Ted," Andromeda said. "Whatever for?"

"I'm sorry I was not able to get anyone presents this year."

"Dad," Tonks said. "Don't worry about it. We're all alive and together and that's what matters."

Lupin noticed Ted's eyes momentarily falling on his daughter's midsection.

_She'd be four months along now, definitely showing a bit_, Lupin thought. He tried to imagine how Tonks would look based on his memories of Lily when she was pregnant with Harry, so long ago.

The old pain flared once more.

_We would have had a son._

Silence hung in the air for a long moment. Lupin saw Tonks blinking rapidly, trying to keep the tears at bay. He stepped over to her and slipped his arm around her. Her mother did likewise. Even her father leaned forward.

"No," Tonks said, pulling away from them. "The Death Eaters have taken so much from us. We shouldn't let him take Christmas away too."

_That's a fair point._

The presents were duly exchanged, although the jovial mood had been somewhat dampened. It was Andromeda who tried to brighten things up.

"Now that we've eaten and exchanged gifts, how about we sing some carols?"

"That would be a good idea," Tonks said, her melancholy beginning to fade. "What're some we could sing?"

She turned to her father.

"How about you pick the first one?"

Ted nodded.

"Okay. How about 'Here We Come A-Wassailing?" Tonks nodded.

"That's a good song."

Ted inhaled, then began singing.

"Here we come a-wassailing," he sang, his voice incongruously deep in a frame wracked by hunger. "Among the leaves so green…"

"Here we come a-wandering, so fair to be seen," Andromeda joined in, her tenor a pleasant counterpoint to her husband's bass.

"Love and joy come to you and to you our wassail too," Lupin and Tonks sang.

Their words echoed throughout the cave and for a few moments, Lupin thought back to the times he, Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail made the rounds of Hogwarts singing Christmas carols during exams, getting on everyone's nerves.

He smiled.

_Those were the days, when the war was so far away and death had not taken so many of us._

He looked around him.

_Of course, death hasn't yet taken everybody._

When it was done, Tonks turned to her husband.

"Remus, you're the newest member of our family. How about you pick one?"

_I really should have seen this coming._

"Okay," he said. "How about 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'?"

_Padfoot had such fun writing "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs" before he died. It helped make 12 Grimmauld Place more tolerable, at least for a short while. It's only fair that we, his last remaining family, sing it in his memory._

Of course, he wasn't going to tell them his reasons. That would darken the mood again.

"I think that works," Tonks said. "Come on everybody!" She grinned, then started singing herself.

"God rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay…"

"Remember Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day," Lupin joined in.

"To save us all from Satan's power when we were gone astray," Ted and Andromeda sang. "Oh tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy…"

At the words "comfort and joy," Lupin decided it was time to move things along.

_We're damn lucky to be even having a Christmas at all. How many Muggleborns and "blood traitors" are spending their Christmas in Azkaban, or in a grave?_

The sooner he could set the werewolves against Voldemort, the sooner the Dark Lord's reign of terror would come to an end.


	41. They Won't Give Up

**They Won't Give Up**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay. I've been busy with real life and other writing projects. I'll try to get the next chapter done quickly to make up for it.

December 28th, 1997 AD

2:30 PM

Remus Lupin slipped into Knockturn Alley, hoping nobody would recognize him. Although he had been among Greyback's people for months now, he had never actually been to the notorious slum of Diagon Alley in that time.

Unfortunately, Fenrir Greyback had needed someone to run an errand for him, someone he trusted with the werewolf army's funds, and that meant Remus Lupin.

_I suppose I should be glad he thinks I won't spend the pack's money carousing_, Lupin thought as he made his way down the narrow street. _Instead, I'll be spending it on books of evil magic for him._

Greyback himself wanted to learn Fiendfyre, but Lupin had managed to put him off by convincing him he should "build up" to that and learn the intermediate Dark Arts first. So the werewolf overlord gave him some money and sent him to purchase some "intermediate" books for him to study.

He set his sights on the cleanest-looking of the Dark Arts-related shops in the area. Although some of them had moved to Diagon Alley proper in order to take advantage of the newfound tolerance for such things under Voldemort's rule, some of the older, better-established ones had stayed.

_I'm supporting evil either way. Might as well support the evil that keeps their house in order and keeps to their own part of town._

He came within three steps of the shop when something exploded behind him. The roar nearly burst his eardrums and he opened his mouth, remembering old training on how to relieve pressure there.

He spun, instinctively raising a Shield Charm. He took most of the blast on the charm's blue-white surface, catching only a bit of shrapnel across the cheek. The Shield flared white against the explosion, but held.

Others were not so lucky. Lupin saw bodies hurled akimbo, shredded by shrapnel or blistered in the initial explosion. Blood spattered the walls, slowly trickling down to fill the grooves and cracks in the stone. A cacophony of screams filled the narrow space.

Through the smoke and chaos, Lupin got a glimpse of the dark-eyed man who had been there when the healer's husband had tried to kill him.

_You son of a bitch!_

The Order of the Phoenix was getting ruthless if they were resorting to bombing civilian targets — even in areas heavy with regime supporters like Knockturn Alley — and Lupin already had beef with the man.

Lupin closed his eyes and Apparated right next to him.

_Not so stupid as to push my way through this crowd._

"Hallo," Lupin said simply before punching the man in the face.

Blood exploded from the man's nose when Lupin's fist struck it, but the other wizard still had his wand. He pointed it straight at Lupin's gut. Lupin twisted away and the Killing Curse that would have ended his life barely missed, shattering a nearby wall.

Lupin quickly drew his own wand and hurled a Killing Curse of his own. The dark-eyed man simply Disapparated out of the way, leaving Lupin alone amidst the chaos.

_Damn it. Next time, lay an anti-Disapparition ward!_

He turned and made his way back towards the blast zone. A dozen witches and wizards lay in the debris-strewn streets. Around half of them were dead, but others filled the air with their moans and weeping.

The sounds of Apparition rent the air as a group of Mediwizards and Mediwitches arrived, heavily escorted by Law Enforcement personnel. Lupin recognized one of them as one of the men who tried to detain him after he killed the Healers. He tried to make himself scarce, but the man's gaze fell upon him.

"You there!" he shouted, leaving his group to rush towards Lupin. "What the bloody hell happened here! Did you have something to do with this?"

_Does the idiot think I would give an honest answer if I had?_

"No," Lupin said. "But I know who did."

"Really?" the man demanded as the new arrivals fanned out over the scene. The medical personnel attended to the ones still living, closing their wounds and administering blood-replenishment potions, while the police drew their wands and stood guard, alert for any further dangers.

"I think he's a member of the Order of the Phoenix," Lupin said. "I don't know his name."

The man looked askance at him.

"You were involved with them for many years, right? I doubt you wouldn't…"

Something exploded behind the other man. The glass of another Knockturn Alley shop bulged for a moment before the explosion shattered it, sending a wave of razor-sharp fragments towards the two men.

"Get down!" Lupin shouted.

The Law Enforcement man ducked, but he had been standing with his back to the shop. The waves of flame and glass slammed into him, knocking him into Lupin and sending them both sprawling.

Lupin felt the heat briefly kiss his forehead and then the wave passed over them. Seconds later, the screams began. Lupin looked to see blue-robed Law Enforcement personnel and green-robed Mediwizards and Mediwitches on the ground, their robes soaked in blood.

_Shit! That was a secondary device!_

The dark-eyed man had not intended just to kill practitioners of the Dark Arts, but anyone who would have come to their aid.

Lupin looked back to see the eyes of the Law Enforcement man were empty and glassy. He eased out from under him to find the blast had stripped the flesh away from his knees to the back of his head and torn away parts of his skull besides.

Disgust furrowed Lupin's face. Although he had seen plenty of war, wizarding combat tended to be cleaner, with curse-induced deaths being generally less messy. It was Muggle war that left its participants mangled.

_Muggle tactics. The Order's getting clever. There won't be many who know how to deal with them._

Of course, if they were half as smart as they thought, they would know that killing policemen and Mediwizards would turn the population against them. Voldemort's own odious behavior was a public-relations disaster for the forces of darkness even if they were not yet confident enough to rule openly — the Order did not need to engage in the same things.

Lupin turned his attention to the victims of the second blast who lay scattered in the bloody street. Two Law Enforcement wizards lay dead, as did two Mediwizards. One Mediwitch, however, was still alive, though bleeding heavily from shrapnel wounds.

Lupin knelt near her. Though he was no combat medic — that task tended to fall to _Snape_ of all people, in the rare instances he had pretended to take the field against his own kind — he did have some training.

He traced his wand over her wounds, sealing them.

"Have you got any of that blood-replenishing potion?" Lupin asked.

The witch shook her head.

"Patrick does," she said, pointing weakly at one of the fallen Mediwizards.

Lupin slid over to the corpse and retrieved the potion. She was woozy from the loss of blood, so he helped her drink it.

"Okay," Lupin said. "Now the others."

December 28th, 1997 AD

3:30 PM

Law Enforcement had sent more people and luckily there were not any more bombs. They had interrogated Lupin about what he had seen — although they became markedly more considerate when he dropped Greyback's name, something that shocked the witch he had helped — and then let him go.

Unfortunately, Knockturn Alley was closed down for the day, so Lupin was not able to fulfill his mission from Greyback.

_He's going to be pissed, although hopefully the good public relations I've generated for the colony by attending to the wounded will make up for that._

He then decided to contact Tonks. She would want to know what had happened and he wanted to make sure Kingsley kept his minions on a tighter leash.

December 28th, 1997 AD

3:35 PM

Andromeda Black Tonks had gone to visit friends, so her daughter Nymphadora Tonks had the house to herself. When she was alone, the sadness that had dogged her since she lost her son often returned, so she hoped to pre-empt that by watching the Muggle telly her father owned.

She flipped through the channels. There was nothing interesting on the news station, so she kept on flipping.

"You're a bad mum to the baby you claim is mine!" the caption of the trashy talk show read. Two chav-looking people were yelling at each other, while the television host tried to keep order.

There might have been a time in Tonks' life where she found it amusing, but now was not the time. The pain she had been trying to avoid pushed forward from the depths of her soul.

She sighed and turned the television off.

_Time to find something else to distract you._

She had eaten her lunch earlier, but unlike her cleanliness-minded mother, she had not immediately washed and replaced the dishes. She headed over to the sink where she had left them…

Then her husband's silver-blue unicorn pushed its way through the door. Her heart skipped a beat and her growing sadness was blown away.

"Dora," it said. "It's Remus. There's been a bombing at Knockturn Alley. I'm alright, although it came pretty close to killing me. I'm pretty sure it was the Order."

_What! Kingsley said he wasn't going to kill Remus!_

"Several people died, including Law Enforcement and medical people. Tell Kingsley he just gave the Dark Lord a propaganda victory, even if he did take out some _probable_ enemy supporters."

The Patronus then vanished.

Tonks scowled. She was going to have a chat with Kingsley Shacklebolt, but the senior Auror had less and less time for her these last few months. Ostensibly it was due to him being a fugitive, but she strongly suspected it had to do with Lupin's activities and her refusal to abandon him.

_Of course, how to arrange an appointment when he doesn't want to talk to you?_

She remembered what she and Lupin had been planning.

_12 Grimmauld Place. That ought to get his attention. He'll either congratulate me for my initiative in killing that wanker Yaxley or be pissed I took out headquarters._


	42. If We Can’t Have It, You Can’t Have It

**If We Can't Have It, You Can't Have It Either**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

December 30th, 1997 AD

2:30 PM

John Yaxley looked skeptically at Nymphadora Tonks, who had come to 12 Grimmauld Place while wearing the face of one of the lesser Death Eaters who worked at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Tonks had barely gotten into the front door when the man had half-jumped her.

"How'd you get in here?" he demanded. "I'm the only one who can find the damned place, and I can't seem to tell anyone else either."

"Snape told me, sir," she said, her male voice surprisingly deep. "He said your subordinates in Law Enforcement might need to get to you at short notice when you're guarding the place."

Yaxley nodded.

"All right," he said. "But why're you here then?"

"I've come to deliver a belated Christmas present," she said, shaking a box she had tucked under her arm. "A gift from Dolores Umbridge."

Yaxley regarded her with slitted eyes.

"Another one? She's trying to butter me up, that one. I hope she doesn't fancy me."

He made a gagging gesture with two fingers. Tonks mimicked his disgust — just as sincerely.

_Note to self: Never imagine that woman snogging anyone again. Ever. Not even Yaxley deserves that._

"Did she ever give any indication as to what it was?" Yaxley asked.

Tonks shook her head.

"She did not. Knowing her, it's probably some kind of caged small animal you could torture."

Yaxley's face remained neutral.

"That does seem like her. Not much into that myself, but I've got friends who are."

Tonks handed him the gift.

"I hope it's something to your liking."

Yaxley took the gift in his long fingers.

"Thank you," he said.

_Okay. That's done with. Now to get a safe distance and take the protection wards off._

"You're welcome, sir," Tonks said.

She turned and headed for the door.

"Wait," Yaxley ordered, his voice freezing Tonks in her tracks.

She slowly turned to face him.

"Surely you want to see what the cow wanted to give me?"

Tonks shook her head.

"I wouldn't want to intrude," she said.

Yaxley shrugged.

"All right."

December 30th, 1997 AD

2:37 PM

Tonks closed the door to 12 Grimmauld Place behind her. She laid an anti-Disapparition jinx and attached some wards that would make the door difficult to open, particularly from the inside.

_We don't want the rat I intend to burn from escaping, now do we?_

Then she gestured with her wand, removing the protections from the box.

December 30th, 1997 AD

2:38 PM

Yaxley examined the package as though it contained a snake that would bite him. Although he acknowledged the woman had her uses in Mudblood control, she was a revolting specimen.

_And she's taken a particular interest in me_, he thought. _I wonder how I've displeased the Dark Lord to merit that._

Suddenly, the box grew warm in his hands. The hairs on the back of his neck rose.

_There's Dark Magic here._

The temperature of the box spiked and he involuntarily dropped it. It exploded into ashes when it hit the floor and fiery serpents burst free.

_That's Fiendfyre!_ was all he had time to think before the tongues of flame surged into his dark robes and ignited them. Burning snakes and spiders crawled up his body, his flesh blistering beneath them.

He waved his wand but the pain was too severe for him to think coherently and banish the fire. He slumped to his knees, the flaming creatures leaping into his hair and igniting it.

December 30th, 1997 AD

2:40 PM

The windows of 12 Grimmauld Place exploded as the Fiendyre roared through the inside of the building. The Muggles recoiled from the heat even though they could not see the source.

Tonks sighed sadly. The building and everything in it belonged to Harry and now they were quite literally going up in smoke. Granted, this was all a part of war, but it was generally the Death Eaters that burned other people's houses, not members of the Order of the Phoenix.

_Of course, this is_ Yaxley, _who is ultimately in charge of the bastards hunting for Muggleborns. And using Fiendfyre will make damn sure the enemy can't get anything useful out of 12 Grimmauld Place, plus it'll give Remus a good idea of just how his plan to kill Greyback will work out._

Behind her, Muggles shouted in pain. She turned to see blood streaming from wounds on their faces. The flying glass must have passed through the magical barrier hiding the house from the Muggles who frequented the streets.

She instinctively moved to help the Muggles, then felt the heat kissing her legs. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Fiendfyre spilling out of the windows onto the path leading towards the door.

_Bloody hell!_

At this point, she was pretty sure Yaxley was dead and now the Fiendfyre threatened to get out of control. She could Apparate away, but that would leave the Muggles vulnerable to something that, if left uncontrolled, could level a sizable chunk of Muggle London.

She raised her wand and pointed it at the burning serpents that slithered out the window towards her. Remembering her lessons with her husband, she forced her will down the length of her wand into the fiery horror rapidly engulfing the house.

_Begone_, she ordered it. _Your task is through._

For a long moment, the Fiendfyre did not appear to obey her. Fear nibbled at the base of her brain — although she had called and banished Fiendfyre before, there was never this much of it.

Then, slowly, the Fiendfyre began receding towards the house, leaving a trail of ashes behind it. Tonks kept her focus on the Fiendfyre as it receded back down the stairs and out of the other rooms, passing over the burnt smear on the floor that used to be Yaxley.

Then it abruptly vanished.

Tonks sighed in relief.

_Now to get out of there lest someone detect the massive use of Dark Magic and come looking._

December 31st, 1997 AD

12:30 PM

Tonks smiled grimly as she read the next day's edition of _The Daily Prophet_. She knew at this point, her tracks were well and truly covered.

"Hogwarts Headmaster Collars Order of the Phoenix Assassin," she read to herself from the headline. There was a big photo depicting Severus Snape — looking as greasy and grim as ever — standing over the broken body of the Death Eater whose appearance she had taken to kill Yaxley.

It was not entirely clear just how Snape had discovered the identity of the man who had ostensibly killed Yaxley, but he had and set off after him in person. There had been a duel and the man had been "cursed while trying to escape."

Tonks smiled, remembering all the House points the biased old vulture had taken from her when she was a student. Not that that had been _entirely_ undeserved, but it was the principle of the matter.

_Pulling a fast one on Snape. I've never managed that before._

She folded the paper and put it under her arm. She briefly examined her reflection in one of the racks of the wizarding shop to ensure her disguise as an old man was still intact — she'd never lost a face but it would be best to be safe given Bellatrix was still out there somewhere — and headed for the door. The chill wind caught her as she entered the street.

_Now let's see if Kingsley will agree to meet with me._


	43. Day Out

**Day Out**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Credit for the overall chapter concept belongs to Second Daughter of Eve. Sorry for the delay — I just sold a story to BattleCorps (a site that pays for BattleTech fiction) and that took up a lot of time.

January 1st, 1998 AD

1:30 PM

"Remus," David Wilson said. "I'd like to talk to you."

Remus Lupin swallowed. If the Wilsons had learned that he was subtly undermining their attempt to raise their adopted son Jack in Greyback's ideology, he could be in very serious trouble.

He turned to face Wilson. The other werewolf — a beefy man with a receding hairline — stood next to a slight dark-haired woman whose hair bore streaks of gray.

"What about?" Lupin asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"We'd just like to say we really appreciate how you've started a school for the children here in the colony," he said. "We wouldn't be able to give Jack the kind of education he needs, but you can."

Lupin smiled.

_If you only knew just how accurate what you're saying really is._

"Thank you," he said.

"We'd hate to burden you with something else, but we have a favor to ask," Rita Wilson, his dark-haired wife, interrupted. "We're going to Glasgow in a couple of days and we were wondering if you could look after Jack for the day."

_Excellent. They're playing right into my hands._

He had spent the last few months teaching Jack about the "normal people" he knew who did not hate werewolves. However, he had never had the chance to take Jack out of the colony, where he could meet these people for himself.

This gave him the perfect opportunity.

"That could be pleasant."

"Aye," David said. "Some of the wizarding restaurants and other places up there have decided now might be a good time to let werewolves in. Something else we can thank Greyback for. They're afraid of us now, and that means they'll give us what we want."

Lupin nodded politely. Given the atmosphere of terror that reigned outside of the colony, the merchants must have thought it prudent to accommodate a pillar of the new order.

_Best find out what the resort is. They could be useful, when the time comes._

"When did you intend on going?" Lupin asked.

"The fourth," Rita said. "How about we leave him with you at around nine in the morning? We should be able to come pick him up around four."

Lupin nodded.

"I think I can do that."

"Thank you," David said.

"Glad to be of service," Lupin replied.

Lupin allowed himself a small smile as he watched the Wilsons walk away.

_I think I've got plans for him they wouldn't like._

January 4th, 1998 AD

12:30 PM

"So, did you like the museum?" Lupin asked.

Jack nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Lupin. I really liked the din…dino…."

"Dinosaurs," Lupin finished.

Although he'd seen real dragons as a child, it wasn't until after James had begun dating Lily that he'd become acquainted with their long-dead cousins. He remembered seeing the trio of dinosaurs in the British Museum for the first time, the mother protecting her young from the predator.

Jack had bombarded Lupin with questions about the dinosaurs, questions Lupin did not know how to answer. He tried to discreetly look at the plaques, but Jack kept asking questions, his earlier questions quickly forgotten. Eventually Jack asked what "dinosaurs" meant and Lupin had unwisely responded "terrible lizards," which meant even more questions. Getting through the dinosaur exhibit with James, Lily, and Sirius had taken half an hour; getting through it was Jack had taken three times that.

Even though he'd been before, he still wasn't familiar with the Muggle parts of London surrounding the museum. However, he figured there'd be unfriendly eyes in wizarding London — he was particularly concerned about Parker, and there was still the issue of Bellatrix — so going to Muggle London would be best for the other part of his plan.

"It's around lunch time," Lupin said. "Are you hungry?"

Jack nodded.

"Me too. How would you like to have a picnic?"

A grin split Jack's face. He nodded vigorously.

"Good."

_Just what I had in mind._

"Okay," Lupin said. "We're going to Apparate now."

Jack made a face. They had Apparated from the colony to London itself. It had not been a fun experience for Jack and he had half-begged to walk the rest of the way, even if that meant he had to stop and rest before they could actually go into the museum.

"It's a long walk," Lupin said. "I assume you want to eat soon."

Jack shook his head. The discomfort and fear on his face tugged at Lupin's heartstrings.

_You know, it's not_ that _far._

"All right," he said. "We'll walk."

January 4th, 1998 AD

1 PM

The two of them walked to Battersea Park and made their way to a large oak tree. Lupin looked at his watch. The walk would have been long anyway, but Jack wanted to know just about everything about the buildings they passed by, things that Lupin himself often did not know.

_We're here. I wonder where Dora is?_

He hoped she had not been waylaid by Order business or by Bellatrix.

Jack pointed. "Who's that?" he asked.

Lupin followed his finger and sighed in relief as Nymphadora Tonks approached, carrying a picnic basket. She walked openly beneath the winter sun — her aunt was deranged, but even she would not dare attack in a Muggle area, in front of so many Muggle witnesses.

"Dora, this is Jack, the boy I've been helping look after," Lupin said as she came within earshot. "Jack, this is my wife Nymph…"

She narrowed her eyes.

"Tonks," Lupin amended quickly. "Just Tonks."

"Is she a werewolf too?" Jack asked.

Lupin shook his head.

"No, she is not."

Jack cocked his head as he looked at her.

"Does she know you're a werewolf?" he asked.

"Yes," Tonks said, rescuing what could have been an awkward moment. "Yes, and I don't care."

"Really?" Jack asked, eyes wide.

Tonks grinned.

"Really."

"Why?"

"The only difference between Remus and me," she said, "Well, besides 13 years…"

Lupin repressed a snort.

"Is that we've got to be careful a couple of nights a month," she continued.

She knelt and opened her arms.

"Now come here," she said.

After some hesitation, Jack came forward and Tonks hugged him tightly. Lupin smiled as he watched the two of them.

_I'm glad she was able to come out here. Not only will this help undermine all the rot the Wilsons are teaching him, but it'll give her spirits a boost besides._

Tonks released Jack.

"C'mon, you two," she said. "I've got a spot staked out already."

The two of them followed her through the isolated Muggle picnickers — it was winter, after all, even though it was sunny — to a colorful blanket Tonks had laid out beneath a tree. Not one for normality, she had eschewed the classic red-and-white picnic blanket for a tie-die of green and purple.

Tonks distributed sandwiches and baggies full of sliced apples among the three of them and then they started eating. After a few minutes, Lupin could see his wife was looking a little antsy.

_I wonder what she's up to?_

"Hey Jack," she said. "Want to see something cool?"

Jack nodded.

Tonks grinned. She concentrated for a moment and her features flowed. Jack stiffened for a moment at the unfamiliar sight until he saw his own face looking back at him.

"That's me!" he said, rapidly growing excited. Lupin felt very warm inside.

Tonks shifted back to her normal face.

"What's your favorite animal?" she asked.

"A goat!" Jack half-shouted. "Do a goat!"

Tonks smiled again. Slowly, a pair of horns forced their way out of her forehead, her ears shrinking to provide the additional tissue.

Lupin looked behind him to make sure the Muggles weren't seeing anything unusual, then looked back to his wife. He felt the urge to laugh at the sight of her with her old animation.

_It wasn't that long ago that she'd do this for Ginny and Hermione._

"How do you do that?" Jack asked.

"I'm a Metamorphmagus," she said.

"A Metamoschsmagus?" Jack repeated. "What's that?"

"A wizarding shape-shifter," she said. "It's very rare."

"That's _cool_. Can you do Fenrir Greyback?"

An awkward silence fell.

"I…I don't know if he'd like that," Tonks said.

_He'd probably think it bloody hilarious._

"How about I do a chicken? As they say, you are what you eat."

Her nose transformed into a large chicken beak, with feathers poking out of the sides of her face. Jack laughed and clapped his hands.

After a few more minutes of this, Jack needed to use the bathroom. As they waited outside, Tonks turned to Lupin.

"If this is over…when this is over, how about we adopt Jack?" she asked.

Lupin barely repressed his jaw from dropping. He had never really thought about what to do with Jack in the aftermath of his plan, if it even worked.

"I'm serious, Remus," she said. "It'd get him away from those awful people who are making him worship Greyback and…"

She gestured at her midsection.

_She was the one who wanted the child. The miscarriage hurt her badly, but playing with Jack made her happy again. Perhaps this would be the perfect medicine._

And he had been enjoying telling Jack stories about the Marauders, molding him in such a way he wouldn't turn out like the Wilsons. He remembered his own fears about being a father, possibly even passing his affliction on, but Jack showed him that even that wouldn't ruin a person forever. And he could certainly do a better job raising the boy than the Wilsons. He was damaged; they were evil.

For a moment, he thought about the three of them finding a place where they and any future children could live. He imagined himself and Tonks teaching Jack more advanced forms of magic, imagined them seeing him off to Hogwarts when he was old enough…

Jack emerged from the bathroom before Lupin could respond.

"I've got to go now," Tonks said, ruffling his hair. "It was nice meeting you, Jack."

Jack grinned.

"Thank you," he said.

"One thing, though," Tonks continued. "Don't tell anybody you've met me, okay?"

"Why?" Jack said. "You're so nice."

"It'll be a surprise," Lupin said. "A surprise for your Mum and Dad."

"Okay," Jack said, not sounding entirely convinced.


	44. Consulting with Kingsley

**Consulting With Kingsley**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

January 5th, 1998 AD

6 PM

Nymphadora Tonks faced Arthur Weasley and a dark-eyed man she did not recognize. The two men flanked the solid oak door of the Fidelius-guarded pub basement the Order of the Phoenix was currently using as its headquarters.

"Is Kingsley in there?" she demanded. "He's been avoiding me for months and I've about had enough of it."

"Tonks," Arthur said. "You have to understand, he's been really busy…"

"And you're not very reliable, with your insistence on associating with the traitor Remus Lupin," the dark-eyed man said.

"Daniel," Arthur began.

"It's true, isn't it?" the dark-eyed man said. "He went over to Greyback, didn't he? Greyback is a servant of the Dark Lord, last time I checked, like pretty much all _werewolves_…"

"He had reason," Tonks said, ignoring the man's slur for the moment. "And he's loyal to…"

The dark-eyed man dismissed her concerns with a wave of his hand.

"We thought we had a man in the enemy camp before, with Snape. I don't think we should risk that again."

Tonks grit her teeth.

"I killed John Yaxley, damn it," she said. "Does Kingsley know about that?"

Arthur leaned forward.

"That was _you_?" he asked, somewhat incredulously. "You blew up 12 Grimmauld Place? Our old headquarters?"

"And killed the Dark Lord's head of Law Enforcement while I was at it," Tonks said. "Does Kingsley know that?"

"No," the dark-eyed man said. "But he will."

He quickly opened the door and slipped inside. Tonks turned to Arthur.

"What's his problem?" she asked.

Arthur shrugged.

"He keeps it close to the chest," he said, lowering his voice. "But I get the distinct impression he lost family in the First War, when he was too young to fight. He's been…very enthusiastic."

Tonks narrowed her eyes. Remus had not been forthcoming about the dangers he faced from his own side, but she did read the _Prophet_, even if Voldemort was the ultimate editor. There'd been a dark-eyed man spotted in Knockturn Alley before the bombing the paper had blamed the Order for, a bombing whose survivors had been tended to by "the werewolf Remus Lupin."

The dark-eyed man emerged from Shacklebolt's lair.

"He'll see you now," she said.

"Good," she said harshly, pushing past him.

"Tonks," he said.

She whirled.

"Yes?" she demanded.

"Good job with 12 Grimmauld Place. Yaxley's successor isn't half as smart as he is, and we've been using that."

"Thanks," she said before returning to her course and slamming the door behind her.

"Tonks," Kingsley Shacklebolt said as soon as the door closed behind her. "Daniel told me you've been busy."

"Damn right I've been," she said. "I killed…"

Shacklebolt raised his hand.

"Sit down," he said. "You look a little flustered. Relax."

Tonks sat in a chair in front of Shacklebolt's great desk.

"I'm flustered because you all clearly don't believe me when I say that Remus is still loyal," she said. She gestured to the door behind her with her head. "And I'm pretty sure I know who's behind that bombing in Knockturn Alley…"

"We're at war, Tonks, and war has casualties," he interrupted. "Those people were Voldemort's men. They were pawns, yes, but pawns can be dangerous to other pieces, particularly if you refuse to take them on some misguided principle. You killed Yaxley, did you not?"

"That's different," she said. "Yaxley is high in the Dark Lord's confidence, has been a Death Eater for years. Those policemen might still think the Ministry is opposed to the Dark Lord."

"After seeing the Snatchers' rampages tolerated? I doubt that."

He had her there.

"All right," she said. "Fine. But…"

"And speaking of Snatchers," Shacklebolt said. "Has Lupin told you that's what he's been doing?"

She nodded.

"He's in the enemy camp. If he disobeyed orders, they'd kill him or drive him out…"

"That is possible," Shacklebolt. "But with the Death Eaters winning the war, we can't take risks on 'possibles,' not anymore."

He leaned forward.

"And it's possible your loyalty is doubtful," Shacklebolt said. "Attached to an enemy agent like you are…"

Tonks felt her blood run cold. If it came to a fight, she doubted she could defeat Kingsley, and he had two more allies right outside the door…

_How do I prove to him I'm not going to go over?_

Her mind spun. She thought back over the last several months, the time where Order members were fugitives and it seemed the darkness had won…

Then she remembered Kingsley telling the Order members soon after the coup not to use Voldemort's name. They'd done something so that anyone who said the name would find themselves in very lethal company.

"If I were disloyal, would I make the suggestion I'm about to make?" she asked.

Shacklebolt raised an eyebrow.

"Do tell," he said.

"Well," she said. "The Dark Lord has got his name under Taboo, right? Anyone who says Vold—"

"Don't!" Shacklebolt said. "The Fidelius Charm might keep this place secret even if the Taboo is triggered, but we don't want to risk that."

"Anyone who says his name attracts Death Eaters. Has the thought ever occurred to you that we could use that?"

Shacklebolt's eyes widened incrementally.

"Use that to lure them into a trap?"

Tonks nodded.

"Aye."

Shacklebolt smiled.

"Good idea," he said.

January 5th, 1998 AD

6:10 PM

Tonks emerged from within Shacklebolt's office. She still hadn't gotten a straight answer from him about whether or not the Order was still after her husband. He liked her suggestion enough, but given what she'd done for them lately, she figured they should at least take her seriously in regard to Remus.

"Is everything all right?" Arthur asked.

Tonks nodded.

"We're going to put the hurt on the bastards soon," she said. "That's good, isn't it?"

"Yeah," the dark-eyed man said.

Tonks turned on him. His eyes widened incrementally at her angry expression.

"I've got a bone to pick with you," she said. "Don't ever talk about werewolves like that, not when I'm around. Got it?"

"If you wish," he said casually.

"Good," Tonks said. She left the room before either man could say another word.

January 5th, 1998 AD

6:15 PM

Shacklebolt tented his fingers beneath his nose after Tonks left.

_She's loyal_, he thought. _I can count on her for more than I have before._

She'd been quite useful assassinating minor Death Eaters and using her shape-shifting ability to scare others. A smile briefly crossed his face when he remembered how she started a panic by taking the form of Sirius Black. The rat-like traitor Peter Pettigrew had been particularly terrified, he'd heard.

Taking out the head of the DMLE, however, was a bit more than just a minor assassination or act of psychological warfare. It had been a major coup. The Death Eater who'd replaced him still hadn't caught up with the learning curve and the Order had managed to get away with a fair bit more in the meantime.

Plus her comment about turning the Death Eaters' Taboo against them. He remembered the occasions he'd said Voldemort's name and had Death Eaters and Snatchers in his hair, before he figured out what was happening. Other Order members had not been so lucky — they'd lost several members that way, on top of the ones killed, imprisoned, or put under Imperius during the coup.

_I think we should do exactly what she suggested. Have someone say Voldemort's name, then kill anyone who shows up._

Of course, they could not risk the information leaking back to the Dark Lord. If the Death Eaters knew Lupin and Tonks had been in contact, they would surely get any intelligence out of Lupin that they could.

_Speaking of information, perhaps I should try to contact him. Greyback probably thinks the murder of that official has cut him off from us forever. He won't suspect a thing…_

He shook his head.

_We thought we had an asset in the enemy camp before, and that got Dumbledore killed. We'll be more careful this time._

If Daniel's plan worked, they would not need to worry about Remus Lupin much longer.


	45. Climbing a Blood Drenched Ladder

**Climbing a Blood-Drenched Ladder**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

January 10th, 1998 AD

9:45 AM

"Today," Remus Lupin said. "We're going to learn about the Unforgivable Curses."

"Ooh," several students in the class said. Lupin repressed a frown. The lieutenants' children who had been causing trouble were much more likely to pay attention today, for all the wrong reasons.

"Can anyone name all three?"

A redheaded girl who would have barely been old enough to go to Hogwarts raised her hand.

"Yes, Cassandra?"

"The Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Killing Curse," Cassandra Merrill, the daughter of one of Greyback's lieutenants and one of the biggest aficionados of Dark Magic in the class, said.

Lupin forced himself to smile. The girl reminded him a lot of Lily when she was a student, until she opened her mouth.

"Very good," he said. "Can you tell me why they're considered Unforgivable?"

"Because the Ministry is staffed by a bunch of hypocritical weaklings," she said nonchalantly. "They'll send you to prison for life for using them, never mind the fact that they sometimes use them themselves."

_Definitely not like Lily. Hopefully she's just repeating what her parents say and didn't come up with these ideas herself at her age._

"Tell me, Cassandra, what is the Ministry's justification for these rules?"

The girl frowned.

"Well, they believe that infringing on another being's free will is among the worst of crimes, as is torture."

Someone snickered. Lupin repressed the urge to scowl. The little wanker would probably sing a different tune if he saw what prolonged application of Cruciatus had done to the Longbottoms.

"Thomas," Lupin said, a note of warning in his voice. "What's so funny?"

It was high time he put the boy in his place.

_Best be careful about it. I don't want to be like Snape._

"Nothing," the boy said a bit sullenly.

"I don't think you're telling the truth, Thomas. I think you laughed when Cassandra brought up the subject of torture."

Thomas was looking a bit uncomfortable now.

"Torture, as I'm sure you know, is deliberately causing prolonged pain to another living thing," Lupin said. "There is nothing funny about it, particularly the Cruciatus Curse."

He knew he was getting on thin ice here. Even though the werewolves tended not to use the Unforgivables often — largely due to lack of skill, something Lupin would have to remedy if his planned coup would have a chance at success — the Death Eaters did. Greyback would look askew at anything that caused the colony's population to doubt the alliance with Voldemort.

_Of course, I can always say that I'm merely making sure they know the full ramifications of the curse, so they don't use it ignorantly like Harry used Sectumsempra._

Lupin stepped over to his makeshift desk, opened a folder, and pulled out a copy of the _Daily Prophet_. He laid it out and gestured with his wand. An image from the front cover materialized in the air in the manner of a Muggle "holoblam."

It was the Longbottoms' wedding day. Frank and Alice stood in front of the church, looking like some of the happiest people alive.

"These are my friends Frank and Alice Longbottom," Lupin said. "They got married in 1978."

He let the children see the image for a long moment, then Vanished it with a wave of his wand. He then opened another copy of the Prophet and did the same, producing another image.

It was another picture of the Longbottoms, soon after they had been hospitalized. They were frightened-looking and hollow-eyed and did not appear to recognize each other.

"This is Frank and Alice in 1982," Lupin said, anger beginning to filter into his voice. "Soon after Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband Rodolphus, his brother Rabastan, and Barty Crouch Jr. subjected them to the Cruciatus Curse for fifteen hours."

_One more sin I intend to punish that monstrous woman for, when the time comes._

"Prolonged application of the curse can take two of the finest minds the Auror department has ever produced and utterly ruin them. Frank and Alice have the minds of toddlers now, and do not even recognize their own son!"

Lupin let the image float there for several seconds before making it disappear. Thomas was ghost-white pale now, and what might have been tears sparkled in his eyes. Lupin hoped the little bully had been taken down a peg or two.

"These curses, even though they have their uses, are nothing to take lightly," Lupin said. "I'm showing you this to make it clear just how serious they can be."

_Hopefully that'll cover my arse in the event Greyback asks awkward questions._

"Now, Cassandra, I think it's someone else's turn to answer the question. Does anyone know why the Ministry has outlawed the use of the Killing Curse?"

A teenage boy moved to raise his hand, but it was barely halfway up when the building shook suddenly. Lupin's hand dropped to his wand. There were no fault lines that he knew of nearby, so he doubted it was an earthquake.

The building shook again, then again. It remained still for a long moment, then shook a third time.

Somewhere in the distance, the old Muggle alarm system began howling. Then a magical voice began speaking, its monotone voice undermining the seriousness of the situation.

"The colony is under attack. The colony is under attack. Battle stations, everyone."

"All right," Lupin said quickly. "Everyone take your wands and get under your desks."

He pointed to one of the oldest students in the class.

"You're in charge. Keep the door warded."

The girl nodded.

Lupin made his way to the door and, once he was out of sight of the students, began running. As he rushed towards the front of the train station, he nearly collided with Connor Lykos, who was going the same way.

"What's going on?" Lupin asked.

"Someone's attacking the colony!" Lykos said, somewhat out of breath. "They smashed the emplacements up on the roof and are heading this way."

Lupin swallowed. The emplacements watching the free-fire zone all around the colony were their primary means of defense. Something capable of neutralizing those was dangerous indeed.

January 10th, 1998 AD

9:48 AM

_Oh dear._

Lupin and several other werewolves he'd managed to collect had emerged from the warren of old offices and storage rooms and crossed over the chasm that the train used to run through. They were 100 yards from the front doors when the first attackers came through, snow whirling around them.

_It's not the Death Eaters! It's the Order!_

Lupin's gaze jumped over the oncoming wizards, searching for Dora. She was not among them, and it was not her habit to go into battle disguised.

Red heads bobbed among the invading force. Lupin counted, his heart sinking deeper with each Weasley he found.

_Arthur, Molly, Bill, Fred, and George. Fleur's there too._

Amid the redheads stood a bald, black man. It was Kingsley Shacklebolt, and standing to his right was the dark-eyed man who'd tried to kill Lupin twice before!

Lupin grit his teeth.

_This time, one of us isn't walking away._

Several of the werewolves flanking Lupin had undergone his training. He intended to put it to use.

"All right, everyone. Baptism of fire. On my mark, massed Blasting Curses! Target him!"

He pointed straight at the dark-eyed man. The other Order members would be able to scatter to avoid his assault, but the other man would not.

"Aye!" Lycos said.

"Aye!" Andrew Parker added.

Lupin raised his wand.

"Now!" _Confringo Multis!_

A storm of silver-white arrows erupted from the group of werewolves. They raced toward the Order of the Phoenix assault force.

The attacking wizards leaped out of the way, Shielding and firing as they moved. The dark-eyed man raised a Shield of his own. The wave of curses slammed into it. His Shield deflected the first few, but there were just too many. The Shield exploded outright and he flew back out the door.

_Hopefully there's someone still alive on the roof who'll take him out._

Fenrir Greyback laughed brutally. Lupin turned to see him facing off against Bill.

"I've never asked for _seconds_," Greyback said morbidly. "Let alone have it come to me instead of the other way around." He chuckled morbidly at his own joke.

"Zat is _not_ funny," Fleur said.

Before Greyback could respond, she lit into him with a wave of curses, Bill following close behind. Lupin's eyes widened incrementally.

_She's definitely going to get him back for Bill._

More and more werewolves surged out of the colony's depths, colliding with the Order assault force. They managed to contain the attackers in a large area by the door, but the better-trained Order members exacted an enormous toll.

Lupin deflected several curses intended for the werewolves he'd personally trained as he made his way along the front of the battle line. Periodically, he fired curses back at the Order personnel, avoiding blows to vital regions if he could.

He shook his head.

_Greyback may be watching._

Shacklebolt was drawing a bead on Greyback, who was locked in a brutal duel with Bill and Fleur. However nice it would be to have the evil werewolf die in battle, his death at the hands of the Order would prevent Lupin from bringing the werewolves over to their side.

_Confringo multis!_

A silver storm erupted from his wand. Shacklebolt pirouetted and deflected all of the curses, the ricocheting silver arrows knocking werewolves and Order members aside and smashing the old brickwork that made up the building.

Shacklebolt strode towards Lupin. Lupin headed towards him, several of his werewolves trailing behind.

Suddenly, the ground exploded beneath Lupin sending him flying. He skidded across the floor towards the chasm where the train used to run, a drop that would seriously hurt. He cast a Cushioning Charm as he fell.

He must have put more effort into the charm than he thought — it bounced him out of the chasm and into an iron bench. His leg and back struck the arm of the bench and the pain reddened his vision for several seconds. Rather than immediately get up, he gestured at each impact site with his wand to deal with any bruises or hairline fractures that might have resulted.

Once that was done, he scrambled to his feet, dusted himself off, and headed back into the fight. He had barely gone twenty feet when he nearly collided with Arthur and Molly.

_Oh bugger._

These were two people he definitely did not want to face off against.

"Remus," Arthur said, pain in his voice. He had his wand in his hand, but made no move to raise it.

Before Lupin could say anything, Molly charged, hurling curses at him. Her technique had improved somewhat since the wedding, but she still relied primarily on ferocity rather than skill.

"We…let you…near…our…children," she growled.

"Molly," Lupin gasped, deflecting her curses. "Molly, you don't understand…"

The combination of Molly's ferocity and Lupin's reluctance to go on the offensive enabled her to push him back towards the chasm. Lupin realized he'd need to hit back, if only to avoid falling towards the rail line and giving her the high ground.

"Oh, I understand," Molly said. "You couldn't keep the _beast_ under control anymore…"

_NO! STUPEFY!_

She managed to catch Lupin's riposte on a Shield, barely, and the concussion forced her back towards Arthur, who was following after her but doing little to attack his old friend. Lupin attempted to Disarm her, but she deflected that spell again.

_Incarcerous!_

This time, she wasn't fast enough. Lupin's spell sent her tumbling, arms bound to her sides.

This time, Arthur intervened. A jet of fire erupted from his wand, forcing Lupin away from Molly. A gesture unbound his wife, and the two of them went on the offensive together.

"Arthur, Molly, please," Lupin said. "There's something you need to know…"

"Remus, please don't beg," Arthur said sadly. "It's unbecoming."

Lupin sighed inwardly. Now he was faced with two opponents and if he did not want to go down, he'd have to take the offensive once more against friends.

_Confringo multis!_

Lupin unleashed his silver storm. Molly and Arthur locked Shields together and weathered the attack, the deflected curses laying waste to other parts of the colony.

Luckily for Lupin, their focus on him left them vulnerable to other threats. With a roar, Phillip Wolf intervened. Molly's nose exploded under a blow from one of his huge fists, while a curse sent Arthur flying. Wolf paused for a moment to lick the blood from his hand before kicking Molly in the stomach, doubling her over on the ground.

"MUM!" one of the Weasley twins shouted.

Fred and George surged forward together, firing a wave of curses at Wolf. Greyback's lieutenant was able to Shield himself against most of them, but two found their way past his defenses and hit him in the chest and gut. He fell onto his stomach, leaving Lupin standing alone over Molly.

Lupin stepped forward, intending to help Molly to her feet.

Suddenly, a curse flew at him and he stepped back.

"Professor Lupin," George said, shaking his head. "No."

Fred was harsher.

"Get away from our mum, you freak."

_This is a far cry from "Hallo, Lupins" from Harry's party, I think._

Not that he could blame him. Nobody besides the Tonks family knew about Lupin's plan. To them, he was a traitor and renegade and proof that _all_ werewolves were evil.

_For now._

"Fred," Lupin began. "Fred, your mother's hurt…"

Fred fired another curse at him. Lupin deflected it with ease, but made no move to retaliate.

"Fred," Lupin repeated.

Fred lashed out with a storm of curses, taking Lupin by surprise. He deflected most of them, but the sheer intensity of the attack meant that some got through.

He found himself sprawled on his back next to Wolf. This close, he could see that the other werewolf was unconscious.

He stabbed with his wand.

_Enervate!_

Wolf's eyes opened. Although he greatly wanted Wolf to get himself killed, that would not be a good idea right now.

_Play dead_, he mouthed. _Ambush them._

Wolf scowled, but made no move.

Before Lupin could get up, he found Fred Weasley's foot on his wrist, pinning his wand hand to the ground. Behind Fred, he could see George and Arthur helping Molly up, healing the wounds Wolf had left. A lynx Patronus arrived and the parents hurried away, leaving the twins alone.

Fred shook his head

"Traitor," he said. "You're a traitor, just like _Snape_."

That comparison stung.

"No," Lupin said. "Fred, you don't understand…

"Professor Lupin!" Jack shouted from somewhere.

Lupin's eyes bulged.

_What the hell?_

Someone was running across the battlefield towards them. Lupin looked up and saw Jack had a wand.

"Jack!" Lupin shouted. "Get out of here!"

Jack kept coming. Fred and George stepped back, raising their wands.

"Listen to him!" George shouted. "Run away!"

Jack raised his own wand.

"JACK!" Lupin half-screamed.

George cast a Shield Charm seconds after Fred fired a pair of curses. Both of them struck Jack in the face. He fell, head twisted at an unnatural angle.

_NO!_

Pain, the kind of pain he hadn't felt since Dora miscarried, erupted from within his chest. Jack, the boy they planned to adopt when this was all over, was dead!

Pain began turning into rage as he watched the twins.

"What the hell, Fred?" George said, anguish in his voice. "He was just a kid!"

Fred scowled, though Lupin could discern trembling in his wand hand.

"Nits breed lice, George."

He swallowed.

"This would be more merciful than letting him grow up as a werewolf anyway."

Wolf made his move. Roaring as he leaped, he slammed into Fred and sent both of them tumbling. The two of them rolled several feet and came to a stop, with Wolf on top. The big werewolf scrabbled for his wand, found that he didn't have it, and instead buried his claw-like long fingernails into both of Fred's carotid arteries.

Blood erupted from both of them, drenching the evil werewolf. He kept clawing, reducing Fred's throat to a mess no Healer could fix even if they were capable of dealing with werewolf wounds. Fred's feet scrabbled on the floor for several seconds, then he abruptly lay still.

"Fred!" George screamed. "FRED!"

Wolf laughed.

"Don't worry," he said, licking his chapped lips. "He won't go to waste. Greyback and I will have a nice dinner tonight."

Tears in his eyes, George began trembling with rage. Wolf laughed again.

George's wand snapped up.

"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, tears pouring down his face.

The jet of green light leaped for Wolf. The evil werewolf barely had time to look surprised before it struck him between the eyes and put them both out forever.

Ignoring his fallen foe, George rushed over to Fred's corpse. Lupin took the opportunity to rise to his feet, knowing the boy would not be paying any attention just now.

"Fred," George moaned, kneeling and burying his face in Fred's chest, ignoring the blood. "FRED!"

He sat there crying for a long moment.

"George," Lupin said. No response. "GEORGE!"

George looked up, murder in his eyes.

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"If you just sit there, they'll find you and kill you," Lupin said.

He gestured to the battle. The Order of the Phoenix was beginning to retreat.

"And Greyback will roast Fred on a spit and have him for dinner," he continued. George turned an unhealthy shade of green. "Take your brother and get out of here. Live to fight another day."

Face twisted with anger, George nodded. He slid his hands into Fred's armpits and began dragging him away.

George had not gotten far when two more werewolves approached, wands out.

"Looks like we've got us another one," one of them began. "I think…"

Green light flashed from the right and the werewolf fell dead. The other werewolf backed up, raising his own wand, but a second Killing Curse did him in.

"Take your brother and move it!" the dark-eyed man shouted. "We're getting out of here!"

The dark-eyed man drew a bead on another werewolf, this one barely out of his teens.

"Hey!" Lupin shouted. "It's me you want!"

The dark-eyed man whirled, hurling the Killing Curse he meant for the younger werewolf. Lupin gestured, snatching up some loose brick, and the curse detonated against the flying masonry.

Burning power surged down Lupin's arm as he hurled a Killing Curse of his own. The dark-eyed man levitated a dead werewolf into the curse's path and absorbed the attack.

Lupin immediately slashed with Sectumsempra as soon as the dead werewolf was out of the way. Snape's curse might kill the man outright and he could always husband his strength for another Killing Curse.

The dark-eyed man deflected the assault and unleashed a stream of red-orange flame from his wand. The heat kissed Lupin's face and he staggered back.

_Aguamenti!_

The rushing water canceled out the heat and made the ground beneath them, already wet from the melted snow, even more slick. The dark-eyed man stepped forward and slipped. Lupin hurled a Killing Curse at him, but the dark-eyed man blasted himself out of the way with a spell of his own. Lupin's curse carved a hole into the floor instead.

Lupin slowly advanced, trying not to slip on the wet floor. The dark-eyed man hurled a mass of ropes at Lupin.

_Incarcerous!_

Lupin's own magical ropes met the other man's in mid-air and the two tangled masses fell to the ground. The dark-eyed man looked behind him and then began backing away, hurling curses at Lupin to keep him from coming too close.

Several other werewolves looked like they were moving between the dark-eyed man and the door, where several Order members still held out. Lupin figured his opponent wanted to get out before his escape route was cut off entirely.

"CUT HIM OFF!" Lupin shouted. Some of the werewolves by the door disengaged from the remaining Order members at Lupin's command and surged at the dark-eyed man.

Lupin's foe roared in rage and the werewolves went tumbling. Only the bloodied Greyback remained standing.

"Shall we take this one together?" Greyback asked.

Lupin nodded.

A Killing Curse leaped for Greyback, but the evil werewolf stepped aside. One of his henchmen took the curse instead. Greyback retaliated with a Killing Curse of his own. The dark-eyed man ducked and the curse hurtled straight at Lupin!

_Bugger!_

Lupin hit the ground. The curse passed by his cheek close enough to blister him, but at least he survived. Lupin hurled a Blasting Curse at the back of the dark-eyed man's knee. His enemy deflected the curse, but that left him open to a frontal assault from Greyback.

Multiple curses from the werewolf overlord slammed into the man's torso. The resulting explosion sent him skidding on his back on the ground. He came to a stop just as Lupin had gotten up, his scorched robes touching the tips of Lupin's battered shoes.

Greyback leaped forward before the dark-eyed man could get up. He looked down his wand at his fallen foe and grinned mercilessly.

"Lights out," he growled. "Avada—"

"Wait!" Lupin said. "I've got a better idea."

Greyback turned.

"What might that be?" he asked. "We let him go? Let him come back to kill us?"

Lupin shook his head. The idea he pondered giving Greyback was making him sick. He'd long told himself he wouldn't wish his condition on anyone, even his worst enemy, but his worst enemy — one of them at least — lay helpless before him.

_Where there's life, there's hope, even in a cursed life._

"He's talented," Lupin said. "He could be useful to us."

_Useful to me at least. He'll still be loyal to the Order, but he'll definitely have incentive to support my plan._

Greyback looked at Lupin for a long moment. Then he started laughing, and did not stop for a long while.

"Bravo, Remus Lupin! You finally want to share your gift!"

The thought of lycanthropy being a gift nearly made Lupin vomit. However, the alternative was the dark-eyed man being killed.

Lupin nodded.

"Very well," Greyback said. He gestured with his wand and Petrified the dark-eyed man. "Take him somewhere safe. There's a full moon soon."

Lupin picked the dark-eyed man up by his shoulders and began dragging him out of the combat zone, keeping an eye out for an Order stragglers who might try to rescue their commander. Though the magic froze his muscles, the expression on his face made his rage and horror clear.

Lupin leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"This is for the best," he said. "Where there's life, there's hope."

He dragged his enemy over to a rusted bench and levered him onto it. He took away the man's wand and pocketed it. The dark-eyed man would need it later, but not now.

_Incarcerous!_

Once the man was bound to the bench, Lupin turned back towards the dissipating fight.

January 10th, 1998 AD

11:15 AM

Lupin stood next to Greyback as the surviving werewolves piled the dead before him. At least ten werewolves died that day, with many more wounded. Lupin at least took comfort in knowing that Parker, who suspected his loyalties, was among the dead.

"They hurt us, hurt us badly," Greyback said. "We won't be able to go out raiding for awhile. Your people did a thorough job."

Lupin did not respond. He had too many other things to think about.

_Jack is dead, he thought. Many of the people who died today deserved it. Jack did not. Jack was a child!_

"Too thorough," Lupin said, voice thick. "They killed Ja…a child."

It would not be a good idea to clue Greyback into just how close he'd been with the child. At the half-mention of the boy's name, anger began boiling up again.

"The one who did it is dead. Wolf killed him before he died."

He felt bad for hating Fred, but he could not stop himself. He already feared breaking the news to Dora.

Greyback laughed bitterly.

"If we can't save our friends, the least we can do is avenge them. How many of them do you think we killed?"

"I don't know, sir. I know Fred Weasley is dead, but I did not see any other bodies. They took Fred with them, so they may have done the same with the others."

Greyback nodded.

"Makes sense."

He turned and looked Lupin full in the face.

"You have Wolf's position now," he said.

Despite his pain, a glimmer of happiness flickered in his soul. At least something good came from the day's debacle.

"This means more responsibility," Greyback said. "I already have a task for you."

"What might that be, sir?"

"During the battle, I saw Patronuses that talked. I think they were being used to relay orders and information to different groups. I want you to teach every single werewolf of fighting age that magic."

Lupin nodded.

"I can do that, sir."

Greyback smiled.

"Good."

"One suggestion, if I may," Lupin said.

Greyback nodded.

"The Order had the initial advantage because we weren't able to get to the door quickly. Might it be a good idea to modify the colony's defenses to permit the use of Portkeys?"

Lupin hoped his timing was right. When the time came, Portkeys might be helpful to his master plan as well as an improvement in the colony's defenses.

Greyback looked at Lupin for a long moment.

"Very well. But Portkeys only. The anti-Disapparition wards will remain in place."

Lupin nodded.

"Thank you, sir."


	46. Induction

**Induction**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **The nickname "Marzly" comes from "Marzly Meets Tonks" by *Rohanelf on DeviantArt. Also, those of you of a political bent might be interested in reading my recent blog post "The Real Cost of Agricultural Subsidies" on my friend's blog "Seeking Liberty," which can be found on Google.

January 12th, 1998 AD

7 PM

The dark-eyed man lay spread-eagled on the stone floor of the colony, hands and feet bound with heavy chains. The man tugged and yanked on the cold, unyielding metal, but went nowhere. The impromptu sacrificial altar had seen many such involuntary infections over the years and it had been designed to hold even the strongest subject.

Fenrir Greyback, wearing new robes to replace those ruined during the assault on the werewolf colony that the dark-eyed man helped lead, loomed over his prey.

"This man invaded our colony, helped kill many of us, including children!" he called out to the werewolves, who watched from various nooks and crannies throughout the colony.

"Ordinarily," Greyback continued. "Such a crime would deserve death! But my friend Remus Lupin, he had a better idea! He felt this man deserved a fate he would think is _worse_ than death!"

The werewolves cheered. Remus Lupin kept his eyes firmly fixed on his feet. The cheering sounded disturbingly like wolf howls.

_Especially tonight_, Lupin thought, looking up the enormous broken windows that would let moonlight in once the moon rose high enough in the night sky.

The full moon.

"Remus suggested that rather than kill the man, we should infect him! Make him like us! Wouldn't that be the supreme irony? The man who would kill werewolves would now be a werewolf himself!"

The man moaned.

"Please," he begged. "Not that! I'll give you…"

Greyback cut him off.

"There's nothing you can give us now that you won't give us when you're one of us, when your friends turn on you as they did with Remus here. It's in your best interest to support the cause with all your might once you're infected."

The dark-eyed man scowled.

"Feck you," he snarled. "Feck you to death."

Greyback gave him a rotten-toothed grin.

"I appreciate the sentiment," he said. "But you're really not my type."

Greyback stepped back as the first shaft of moonlight passed through one of the windows to fall on the dark-eyed man. Voldemort had been supplying the werewolves in the colony with Wolfsbane to enable them to keep their minds when terrorizing his opponents in wolf-form, so none of the werewolves would change until the moonlight touched their flesh. However, when that change came, things would get very bad for the dark-eyed man.

_Greyback has claimed this 'honor' for himself. Not that I mind, but he's not going to make it pleasant for him._

Greyback shed his robes and stepped naked into the moonlight. Hair sprouted at the touch of the moonbeams and his body began to twist. Rather than grimace, he grinned. His hands and face lengthened, his coccyx began forcing itself into a tail, and slowly, he began sinking to the ground.

"No!" the dark-eyed man screamed. "NOO!"

All the while, Greyback did not show any sign of pain.

_I wish I knew how to do that_, Lupin thought.

He remembered all the terrible nights where he tried to stop his transformations, or at least slow them to a more tolerable pace. None of his efforts had ever worked, and they hurt like bloody hell in the meantime. Greyback, without any appreciable effort, seemed to transform without any…

_Wait a minute._

It might very well be that the reason Greyback did not suffer overmuch when transforming, and the reason that he was vital and muscular while Lupin was sickly, was that unlike Lupin, Greyback did not fight against the inevitable.

_Of course, as overlord, Greyback has access to the best possible food, as much as he wants. That certainly helps._

Still, it couldn't hurt to try, given the alternative.

Lupin stayed away from the moonbeams and watched as Greyback, now fully wolf, rose onto four paws. The senior werewolf fixed his yellow-eyed glare on the dark-eyed man.

"Please," the man begged. "Please, don't bite me. Nice wolf, please don't…"

Greyback lunged forward and sank his teeth into the dark-eyed man's right bicep. It wasn't just a gentle nip, as Lupin would have done if he absolutely had to do the deed, but a full-on bite, with some head-shaking in for good measure.

The dark-eyed man screamed as Greyback worried his arm. His task accomplished, Greyback stepped back, licking the blood off his teeth.

The dark-eyed man looked at his bitten arm and screamed. And screamed. And screamed some more, to the point Lupin wondered how his voice didn't give out.

Then the man started tugging on the chains again, working one of them a bit loose. Lupin cocked his head, wondering what he was doing. Then he spotted how he was moving his head and neck, as though he was trying to touch them with the chain.

_Bugger! He's going to try to strangle himself!_

That would not do, if Lupin intended to recruit him for his plan. Unfortunately, the area around the dark-eyed man was already bathed in moonlight, and the area affected was getting wider. Lupin would not have long before his own transformation took over.

_Very well. Maybe I'll see if not fighting the change makes it better._

Lupin rushed forward. The moon light fell on him and he felt hair bursting through his skin, felt his bones beginning to bend. He instinctively tried to resist, then forced himself to relax as much as he could while still moving forward. He seized the loose chain with hands rapidly elongating — hands that hurt, but not as much as before — and yanked the chain back through the eyebolt and twisted it so the dark-eyed man couldn't pull it through again.

"Feck you, you fecking traitor!" the dark-eyed man hissed. Lupin looked down a nose that was rapidly turning into a snout and shook his head.

_Would you rather be dead? Dead like Jack?_

Anger burned in Lupin's heart. It wasn't the dark-eyed man who'd broken Jack's neck, but the man was one of the commanders in the attack, so he bore much of the responsibility for the deed.

More and more werewolves were changing now as the moonlight touched them. As Lupin fell onto his knees, his legs pulling up into his hips and his coccyx painfully extending into a tail, he saw other werewolves, now fully transformed, loping forward. Some of them sniffed at the dark-eyed man, while one nipped at an ear sadistically. None of them would go too far for fear of Greyback, but that wouldn't stop them from having a little fun.

One werewolf howled in the distance. Other werewolves joined their voices to the unearthly chorus. Lupin stayed quiet — the damage was done, no further need to terrorize the man.

Their cries drowned the dark-eyed man's screams.

January 13th, 1998 AD

5:30 AM

Lupin came to on the welcome mat he had somehow dragged into his grotto. The sheer brightness of seeing in the full color palette, so soon after seeing only in the wolf's vision of black-and-white-and-blue, stabbed at his eyes and he had to blink several times before the pain went away.

He rose and was shocked to find how easy it was for him to get up. His muscles were sore, true, but much less so than before, and the post-transformation pain in his bones was greatly reduced. He stretched, and there were fewer cracks and pops.

_My. It seems Greyback was right — it's much easier to go with it._

Thinking of the werewolf overlord's name reminded Lupin of his long-range plan to kill him, and that plan included the new arrival. He gathered up his clothes — he'd deposited them there while in wolf-form — and put them on. Then he set off to check on the welfare of the newest member of Greyback's pack.

The dark-eyed man lay asleep, still chained. Dried blood encrusted the bite wound Greyback had left in his arm. He moaned in his sleep, body twisting as much as the chains would let him.

"Good morning," Lupin said.

The man did not respond.

Lupin stepped forward.

"Good morning," he repeated, somewhat louder. The dark-eyed man stirred, but did not respond.

Lupin nudged him with his foot.

The dark-eyed man came awake with a scream. He lashed out with his arms as much as his chains would permit, which was not much. The movement caused his wound to break open again. His gaze leaped to the wound and he screamed, loud enough to wake even the most soporific werewolf from their post-transformation slumber.

Then he locked eyes on Lupin.

"You fecking traitor! You fecking monster! You son of a bitch!"

Guilt rose from the crannies of Lupin's soul. The first two accusations were, unfortunately, somewhat accurate.

_No. I never betrayed the Order more than I needed to in order to ensure I'm in the position I need to be in so that I can bring the werewolves over to their side. And I'm_ not _a monster._

"You've got your wand!" the dark-eyed man screamed. "Kill me! Kill me now, please!"

His expression darkened.

"Or I'll kill you later! If it's after I transform, I'll do it slowly! I'll do to you what the fecking Lestranges did to the Longbottoms, twice over!"

Rage erupted in Lupin's soul at the mention of Frank and Alice. He exhaled, then inhaled, trying to restrain himself from kicking the helpless man in the crotch.

Lupin shook his head. He knelt by the bound man. The dark-eyed man surged upward, trying to _bite_ him, but Lupin leaned back out of his way.

"I'm going to unchain you," Lupin said. "And then I'm going to give you your wand back."

The dark-eyed man's widened.

"But," Lupin said. "You've got to hear me out first."

The dark-eyed man scowled.

"Why should I do that?"

"Because," Lupin continued, what he planned to say next making him rather ill, "Otherwise, I'll leave you there until Greyback decides to free you. That could be awhile, and you'll be at the mercy of everyone in the colony until then."

He paused.

"Furthermore, at some point I would expect you'll need to use the loo."

The dark-eyed man's scowl deepened.

"Fine," he spat. "This better be good."

"Don't worry," Lupin replied. "It will be."

He gestured with his wand. The shackles released the dark-eyed man's wrists and ankles and the chains uncoiled themselves from around his limbs.

As Lupin half-expected, the dark-eyed man lunged as soon as he could. Lupin hopped back, pointing his wand at his enemy, and stood up.

"Remember your promise," Lupin said.

Rage twisted the dark-eyed man's face.

"For now," he spat. "Fecking monster."

"You're a fine one to lecture me about that subject right now," Lupin said.

_Not just because you're a werewolf. You helped command the attack on the colony. Jack is dead in part because of you._

He focused on the present. "Now come along," he continued.

Lupin turned and raised his wand.

_Connor, meet me at my grotto. We've got a new co-conspirator to induct. Expecto Patronum!_

Lupin's silver-blue unicorn bounded down the long chasm where the train used to run. He turned toward the dark-eyed man.

"Walk where I tell you," Lupin said.

The man stepped forward. He moved a little too quickly for Lupin's taste, so Lupin shifted behind him. Lupin marched the dark-eyed man through the colony. None of the other werewolves seemed to be awake, which was a good thing. Parker's death eliminated the one person apparently suspicious of Lupin — he didn't need to create more by being seen talking to an Order operative so soon after the latter's infection.

_I could always claim I'm counseling new arrivals to the pack, the task Greyback himself gave me. But better to avoid awkward questions entirely._

Lupin and the dark-eyed man came to the former's grotto. Connor Lykos waited for them. The two senior werewolves escorted the dark-eyed man inside, and Lupin cast a Silencing Charm.

"All right," Lupin said. "First of all, I don't think I've ever gotten your name."

"Daniel," the dark-eyed man hissed. "Daniel Gray."

Lupin narrowed his eyes.

"That name sounds familiar. Have we met?"

"I don't think we've actually talked before, but I'm sure we've seen each other. My sister was a member of the Order during the First War, when I was too young to fight."

Lupin raised an eyebrow.

"Really? I don't recall anyone with the last name Gray."

"She was married. Marlene Gray McKinnon."

Lupin's eyes widened. He knew where he'd seen the dark-eyed man before.

August 18th, 1978 AD

3:45 PM

"Do you, Marlene Gray, take Charles McKinnon to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the wizarding official asked Lupin's fellow Order member.

The full Order of the Phoenix had gathered in the living room of Charles McKinnon, who was not a member but was sympathetic to their cause. A Ministry for Magic official stood between the radiant Marlene and her soon-to-be husband, a shorter man with a receding hairline.

"I do," she said.

Lupin's did not yet know the couple — he was here because they had invited every member of the Order, not him specifically — nor did he really know anyone else other than James, Lily, Sirius, Peter, McGonagall, and Dumbledore. His gaze passed over the assembled wedding guests. Marlene's Muggle parents stood in the front of the crowd, and with them was a small boy whose dark eyes were so unlike his older sister's bright ones.

January 12, 1998 AD

5:45 AM

"Marzly?" Lupin asked, shock clear in his voice. "You're her brother?"

_Bugger! I just had my curse inflicted on Marzly's brother! If she were still alive, she'd kill me._

Of course, if she were still alive, she might be glad Lupin had saved her brother's life. She was always practical that way.

"The fecking one," Gray replied. "My sister, her husband, and my niece and nephew died for the cause of freedom from the Dark Lord. They paid the price you weren't fecking willing to…"

"Oh, there's a price I'm willing to pay all right," Lupin said, his anger and his guilt mixing together in a potent emotional stew. "There _is_ a price I'm willing to pay to bring about the fall of the Dark Lord and ensure that werewolves get the respect we should have been getting."

Gray snorted.

"And what might that price be?"

Lupin leaned forward, lowering his voice even though he knew nobody outside the grotto could hear him,

"The death of Fenrir Greyback."

The dark-eyed man leaned back, shocked.

"So soon after he makes you his second-in-command? You're ambitious, I'll give you that."

_True. I suppose I am. But not for selfish gain like the Slytherins would. I'm doing what's right, not what's easy, like Dumbledore taught._

"The Dark Lord is using the werewolves to eliminate his enemies," Lupin said. "Then, when we're not useful to him anymore, he's going to kill us, and the wizarding public will love him for it."

Gray narrowed his eyes.

"Makes sense. But say you kill Greyback, then what? It's not like the public will love you…us…after what's happened already."

Lupin's expression darkened.

"If the public wants our help getting out from under the Dark Lord's boot, they'll have to make certain…concessions."

The dark-eyed man grinned, an expression Lupin found rather unsettling.

"I assume you want to participate?" Lupin said.

"Aye," he said.

"Very well. Connor?"

The older werewolf stepped over. Lupin kept his eyes locked on Gray.

"You will swear an Unbreakable Vow," Lupin said. "That'll ensure there are no leaks."

"Clever," Gray said.

Lykos raised his wand, and Lupin handed Gray his wand back. The Vow was quickly made.

"Where do we begin?" Gray asked.

_Your enthusiasm is unsettling, but it is useful._

"I don't know yet," Lupin said. "We've got the method worked out — contained Fiendfyre, suddenly uncontained. All we need to do is find the right set of circumstances to make it look like it was the Death Eaters — not the Order — that did it."

Lupin sighed.

"Unfortunately, ensuring that method will work involved having the Order do it."

"But you haven't been…" Gray began. His voice trailed off. "Tonks."

Lupin smiled.

"Yes. Tonks was testing this out for me when she killed Yaxley. Until we get the timing just right, I'll be spreading my influence in the pack in more subtle ways — training our warriors, especially those who I've recruited or I know I could trust, in advanced war-magic, for example."

He gestured to the door.

"It would be wise for you to find a spot and claim it before the others start waking up. You won't have many friends here, not for awhile."

The man nodded.

"But," Lupin said. "Don't contact the Order. If any of them know about my plan and fall into enemy hands, the Dark Lord will know and all of us will be dead."

_The Order might not be worth trusting anyway, outside of Tonks and Harry, Ron, and Hermione wherever they are. They didn't kill children when Dumbledore was alive._

For the first time, Gray looked reluctant.

"Very well," he said.

He turned to leave.

"Wait," Lupin said.

Gray froze.

"One question. Where'd you learn to use Muggle bombs?"

Gray turned to look straight at Lupin.

"Marzly and I grew up in Northern Ireland, during the Troubles. We're both Muggleborn, so we were right in the thick of it until we went to Hogwarts. It made for a fecking awful childhood, but some good came out it."

"Besides," he said wryly. "'Any means to achieve their ends.'"

Lupin barely repressed his jaw from dropping.

"'Any means to achieve their ends?' That's the _Slytherin_ credo."

Gray nodded.

"Aye. But you're Mu…"

_There_ are _Muggleborn Slytherin, you know. That would certainly explain his cunning and his ruthlessness. _

"Well, then," Lupin said. "Slytherin are motivated by self-interest, and it's certainly in your best interest to oppose Voldemort. Now it's in your best interest to support the cause of werewolf rights, a cause that will be well-served by my plan."

Gray nodded.

"Aye."


	47. Closure

**Closure**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Those interested in reading more of my (Matt Quinn's) fiction should visit the Battle Corps web-site, which hosts canon BattleTech fiction. My story is entitled "Skirmish at the Vale's Edge." The site is $10 per month, but that gives you access to a whole lot of free fiction. It's also one reason why I haven't been updating as quickly as usual—I've been working on it, among other projects.

January 23rd, 1998 AD

5 PM

Tears trickled down Nymphadora Tonks' face as she stood in front of the two candles set up on the altar of Boxford, St. Mary Anglican church in Suffolk. She wore her ordinary form—it would be hard to see her from the door in the sanctuary, dark as it was now. And it was unlikely Bellatrix would bother with a Muggle church.

Remus Lupin stood behind her, his arms around her middle. His head floated an inch or two above her hair, now mouse-brown again.

_Damn you, Fred Weasley_, he thought. _Damn you for doing to her what those Healers did._

He still doubted if Fred had intended to kill Jack, but regardless of his intentions, the boy was still dead and his wife's heart was broken once more. The fact Fred was dead as well did not make the anger go away.

"Oh St. Jerome Emiliani, our country is in such need of your powerful intercession before the throne of God," she said. "So many children are orphaned, others are missing and some have been used for evil purposes on our city streets." She swallowed. "And many have died before their time." She paused for a moment. "Please petition our Lord to admit the soul of Jack Wilson into his presence."

_Patron saint of orphans and abandoned children_, Lupin observed. _How fitting._

Wizards tended to take their religions less seriously than Muggles — turning water into wine was something most wizards could do, if they so chose, although raising the dead was beyond any of them — but those of Muggle background were more devout than those of "purer" blood.

"We would have honored you and our Lord by accepting Jack into our home," she continued. "Raising him as our own son. But the Lord clearly thought otherwise."

She swallowed.

"Lord, please admit Jack into your kingdom."

She then made the sign of the cross, finishing her prayer. Lupin stepped away from her momentarily to make the sign himself.

She then stepped forward and lit the votive candle she'd erected in memory of Jack with her wand. A moment passed, and she lit a second candle. This one was in memory of their son, who died before he even had the chance to be born.

This time, the tears flowed more freely.

Lupin slid his arms around her and rested his head atop hers. After a moment, he had to blink back tears himself.

_Our son, dead, and the boy who could have been our son, also dead. Neither of them were killed by the Death Eaters. Our son died because of the cruelty and prejudice of ordinary wizards. Jack was killed by people who should have known better._

Lupin's darker nature, what he called "the wolf," would have loved to punish the Order for what it had done. Even now, it growled within him, raging at the sight of his wife's pain.

Lupin shook his head.

_Jack challenged two older wizards in a battle situation. Fred reacted as he should…no. No, no, no!_

Jack had done what he did to protect Lupin. Fred was standing over Lupin and ready to kill. Fred was in that position because the Order chose to invade the werewolf colony.

He sighed.

Dora would address the Order of the Phoenix on the matter soon. Her own killing of Yaxley had raised her star in the Order considerably, while the capture of Gray deprived Kingsley of one of his heavy hitters. They would be more likely to listen to her now…

_And if they don't…_

"Remus," Tonks said abruptly. "You're tense. Is something bothering you."

"Nothing," Lupin lied. He slid one hand back to caress her side. "Are _you_ all right?"

She turned and looked up at him. Though tears stained her face, no new ones were coming.

"I'm fine," she said. She swallowed. "Let's go."

Lupin nodded. It would be best for both of them if they got some fresh air, got their minds off the things that were bothering them.

The two of them turned and left the sanctuary, leaving the candles guttering behind them.


	48. Bloody Hands

**Bloody Hands**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

February 10th, 1998 AD

1:30 PM

The muttering that rapidly spread throughout the werewolf colony was the first sign that something was wrong. Remus Lupin's heart sank as he discerned one thing that was on many people's lips.

Death Eaters.

He forced himself to appear nonchalant as he made his way to the front of the colony, to the area that had been a battleground not that long before.

Two masked Death Eaters — still keeping up the façade that Voldemort was not in control — stood in the doorway. A curious crowd had gathered around them.

"We've come to see Fenrir Greyback," one of them said. "The Dark Lord's orders."

Lupin stepped out of the crowd to face them. As Greyback's second in command, he had to take control of the situation. His hand was close to his wand, although not too obvious.

"What do you want to speak to him about?" he asked, as politely as possible.

The two Death Eaters stared at him for a long moment.

"I did not know an Order puppy spoke for Greyback now," one of them said. "Where's Wolf?"

"He died during the Order attack," Lupin said, forcing the memories of Jack's death out of his conscious mind. "Were you not informed?"

The Death Eater shook his head.

"Good riddance. He was a lout."

_For once, we agree completely._

"Where's Greyback?" the other Death Eater asked. "We're supposed to talk to him."

"I'm here," Fenrir Greyback rumbled as he emerged from the crowd. "Thank you for handling them for me, Remus."

"You're welcome."

The Death Eater who spoke first stepped forward.

"Greyback, the Dark Lord's got orders for you."

Greyback looked him straight in the eye.

"And what might these orders be?"

"He's learned that the overall quality of your…people…has improved in recent months, apparently due to the work of Lupin here. He'd like to see just how well they can fight. There's a Death Eater raid scheduled for tonight and we need two werewolves to fill some vacancies. The Order's been a particular pain in the arse lately."

Lupin repressed the urge to smile. Hopefully Dora had racked up at least one of those kills.

"They will, of course, be given the full regalia, the full honor of serving the Dark Lord this night. He rewards his helpers, after all."

"Even the Dark Mark?" Greyback asked.

Lupin knew Greyback resented the fact that every Death Eater, no matter how lowly, received this sign of the Dark Lord's favor, but no werewolf had. Had Lupin been aware of this before the Ministry's fall, he would have tried to play on this to get the senior werewolf to switch sides.

The Death Eater shook his head.

"That's not given lightly. If they perform well tonight, they _might_ be in the running to bear his mark."

"Might," Greyback repeated. "Might."

"It's better than you deserve," the other Death Eater said. The first Death Eater cuffed him on the side of the head.

"Don't mind him," he said. "He's new, and lacks manners. We'll be sure to teach him."

"Be sure to," Greyback said.

The senior werewolf turned, and faced the crowd.

"Who should have the _honor_ of going tonight?" he asked himself. "Who indeed."

Greyback looked at Daniel Gray, who did his best to try to shrink back into the crowd.

"That one might be good," the senior werewolf said. "He was one of theirs, before we got hold of him. It'd be funny, if he had to fight against his own."

Based on his expression, this was not a prospect Gray looked forward to.

Lupin thought back to how, in order to burn his bridges with the Order, Greyback had forced him to kill that Ministry official. Not that the bastard didn't deserve it, of course, but Gray seemed far more reluctant than he had been. Plus the next full moon was tomorrow, and it would be Gray's first transformation.

He had already inflicted enough pain on him by persuading Greyback to infect him instead of killing him.

"Sir," Lupin began. "I'll go."

Greyback looked at Lupin for a long moment.

"Lupin, this is a shock. Such a goody-two-shoes, now fighting alongside his old enemies?"

"I am always loyal to the pack, sir."

"Very well. You can pick the other one."

Lupin turned and surveyed the crowd. He had two options — pick an enemy and hope they died, or pick an ally and hope they succeeded, to bolster Lupin's faction in the eyes of the colony.

He decided to err on the positive side.

"Taylor White," he called out to the crowd.

He initially would have picked Rawlings, but Rawlings was Muggleborn. That would have been altogether too much.

February 10th, 1998 AD

5:44 PM

"All right," the first Death Eater who had visited the colony said to the assembled war party on the hill overlooking the targeted house. "We're going to raid the house of a suspected member of the Order of the Phoenix."

Lupin paled beneath his borrowed mask. If the Death Eaters intended to attack the Tonks home, his participation in this little scheme would end right then, and that would likely mean his overall plot against Greyback would fall apart. His anger at Fred aside, he also hoped it would not be the Weasleys.

"The primary target is one Thomas Keith," the man continued. "A Pureblood who doesn't know where his best interest lie. We're going to teach him a lesson."

Lupin sighed in relief. Since the man was Pureblooded, they wouldn't kill him unless they absolutely had to.

"He's got a Half-Blood wife, so she's fair game."

Lupin repressed the urge to swear. An innocent — not that Keith had done anything wrong by fighting against Voldemort — would die tonight.

The Death Eater looked straight at Lupin.

"We've got some new blood tonight," he said. "They're on loan from Greyback, but they've got some class. We'll see how well they perform."

Lupin sighed. They probably expected him or White to perform the actual killing.

"Just remember," the Death Eater continued. "The Order, for all its claims of holiness, has got blood on its hands. I heard that children died in the recent attack on Greyback's lair. Werewolf children, true, but children nonetheless. And they hypocritically condemn us for that!"

The man paused for a moment.

"Now it's our chance to punish them for their hypocrisy," he said, voice low and eager.

Lupin was well aware the man was trying to manipulate him.

_Pretend to go along with it_, he thought. _Let them think they're manipulating you, when they're really not. They'll let their guard down._

"Let's go, then," Lupin said, feigning eagerness. That took less effort than he expected.

"I like the way you think," the Death Eater said.

He headed down the hill, the others following behind. As he drew near the house, he laid an anti-Disapparition jinx.

"Fire the roof," he ordered the second Death Eater.

This uncomfortably reminded Lupin of the raid Greyback had forced him to join to burn his bridges. This time, though, he had a good reason to participate.

The second Death Eater waved his wand. Flames raced along the gutters and then along the edges of the shingles. He laughed as flames swallowed the entire roof.

A moment later, the back door erupted outward. Everyone stepped back to avoid the flying door, leaving them vulnerable to Keith and his wife as they rushed out of the house.

One Stunner floored the second Death Eater, while another narrowly missed White. Lupin himself deflected a spray of Blasting Curses. Even blocking that effort forced him back several feet.

Keith and his wife waved their wands to Disapparate, but nothing happened.

"At them!" the first Death Eater shouted, reviving his fallen comrade. The two Death Eaters unleashed a wave of curses of their own.

"You heard him," Lupin ordered, hoping to hide the reluctance in his voice.

White stepped forward and unleashed a wave of Blasting Curses, probably using the _Multis_ incantation Lupin had taught him. The storm of silver arrows slammed into the ground around the fleeing couple, ripping the earth apart and knocking both of them to the ground.

The first Death Eater lunged, making the movements to Petrify them. Keith was a bit faster and hit him in the stomach with a Blasting Curse. The man doubled over and Keith turned towards White.

Lupin stepped forward and Petrified the man himself, while White Disarmed his wife and knocked her to the ground. For a moment, Lupin felt better about Jack.

The first Death Eater rose to his feet, gesturing at his stomach with his wand. The anger in his eyes was visible through the holes in his mask.

"You'll pay for that," he hissed. "Crucio!"

Though the fallen man could not move, his eyes betrayed his agony. As the seconds ticked by, tears began pouring from them.

"Careful," Lupin said. "Too much of that will ruin his mind. We want to educate him, not turn him into a potted plant."

The first Death Eater was silent for a moment.

"Good point," he said.

He turned to the second Death Eater.

"Educate him by doing to his Half-Blood whore what she deserves."

The second Death Eater laughed. "I'll show you something Avery gave me," he said. "Said he learned it from Snape, back in the day. Sectumsempra!"

He slashed the woman across the back, spraying blood everywhere. He stepped around her, slashing her across the stomach.

The woman dragged herself away from the Death Eaters across the grass, trailing blood. Lupin swore. Even if he had the chance of covertly healing the woman, there was no way he could do it now that she'd been wounded with Sectumsempra. Her life was as gone as George Weasley's ear.

The second Death Eater turned to Lupin.

"Your turn," he said gleefully.

The others' eyes fell on Lupin. He sighed and stepped over to the woman.

"Please," she begged. "Please."

Lupin's eyes were full of tears now. He did not know if she wanted him to heal her, or end her pain.

He shook his head. There was no way to save her.

_Avada Kedavra._

"What the hell?" the second Death Eater shouted. "That was too fast!"

Lupin turned to face him.

"There are wards on every Order home," Lupin said. "Our attack probably triggered them. We don't have time to play with our food, lest we want Kingsley Shacklebolt up our arse."

That was complete rot, but he hoped the Death Eaters believed him. He was an Order member, after all.

"He's got a point," the first Death Eater said. "Let's get out of here."

He stepped over and took the wand from the paralyzed Keith, then threw it over to the woman's corpse. A quick gesture undid the anti-Disapparition ward he'd set, while another gesture sent the Dark Mark high in the sky. Then he leaned over to the fallen man.

"Marry someone better next time," he hissed.

Then he unfroze the fallen man and Disapparated. The others did the same.

February 10th, 1998 AD

6:30 PM

Lupin sat off to one side in the clearing the Death Eaters were using as their fallback point.

_Another innocent you've killed in Greyback's service now_, he thought. _Not counting the number of Muggleborns you gave to Umbridge._

Shame gnawed at his soul. For a long moment, he wondered if the ends really justified the means.

"It was necessary," White whispered. "When the time…"

"Not now," Lupin hissed.

"Oh," the man said. "Right."

Lupin made a note to exclude the man from sensitive subjects until he learned to avoid referring to their plot, even obliquely. Luckily, his words could be construed as referring to Greyback's plan to turn against Voldemort, not Lupin's plan to topple Greyback.

"It _was_ necessary," the Death Eater said. "Lupin, I'd like to talk to you."

"About what?" Lupin replied sourly.

"Come with me," the Death Eater said more brusquely. It was not a request.

Lupin followed him away from the group.

"The Dark Lord told me about your history," he said. "Despite your condition, you're a powerful and skilled wizard. You took down Lucius Malfoy in the Department of Mysteries, which is something the Dark Lord particularly approves of."

Lupin thought back to all the times Draco Malfoy whined about what his father was going to do. Perhaps the little bastard had to stand on his own two feet these days.

The Death Eater lowered his voice.

"We've seen your willingness to kill for the cause, and that's typically the biggest hurdle to overcome."

Lupin remembered what Harry told him about the night on the tower, the night Dumbledore died. Draco could not bring himself to do it, so _Snape_ had to do it instead.

"The Dark Lord thinks you're an excellent candidate for his Mark," the Death Eater said. "Especially if you can bring your wife over. We hear she's besotted with you."

The Death Eater laughed. Lupin frowned beneath his mask.

_She's besotted with me because she thinks I'm brave, strong, and kind. That wouldn't be the case if I sold out to Voldemort._

"And here's the best part, for you," the man continued. "When we don't need that savage Greyback and his peons anymore, the Mark will protect you. The Dark Lord rewards his helpers, and he looks after his own."

Horror filled Lupin's heart at the notion of being a Death Eater for real, but given what White had said, he had to play along.

"Thank you," he said. "I'll consider it."

_I'll do no such thing._

"Good," the Death Eater said.


	49. Division

**Division**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Some aspects of Bellatrix's pre-Voldemort personality and how she went evil are borrowed from "A Keen Observer," a Ted/Andromeda story that's pre-DH. Although there are some canon problems due to new information, it's a really good story.

February 12th, 1998 AD

7:00 PM

Nymphadora Tonks looked straight up the table at Kingsley Shacklebolt, who sat at its head.

_Took me bloody long enough_, she thought darkly.

Shacklebolt had put it off and put it off, until the combination of Tonks' own killing of the Death Eater Yaxley and the Order's bloody raid on the werewolf colony made the matter of Remus Lupin something urgent.

"Dora," Shacklebolt said. "I know he's your husband and you love him…"

"And he's been an Order member since the First War," Tonks said. "I think we owe him the benefit of the doubt on the matter."

"So was Snape," Shacklebolt said. "He allegedly went over to us during the First War and look what he did!"

Shacklebolt leaned forward.

"And Snape's hands were less bloody then than Remus's are now. As far as we know, he primarily made potions for them and served as a field medic. He fought, yes" —Shacklebolt gestured to an ugly slashing scar on his forearm — "but there aren't any definite kills we can trace to him. Remus, on the other hand, has killed three people and served as a Snatcher, abducting Muggleborns for gold."

"He protected Dad!"

"He's your father, Dora," Shacklebolt replied. "It's easier to sell out people you don't know."

"I know about being a Snatcher," Tonks said. "That doesn't matter."

Muttering broke out all around the table. Shacklebolt leaned forward, jaw clenched.

"Tell me, Tonks, why don't these _atrocities_ matter?"

"Because they're part of a plan."

Her words blew the muttering away. The room was silent as a tomb.

Shacklebolt raised an eyebrow.

"You've said this before. What kind of plan?"

Tonks swallowed. Her husband probably wouldn't want the knowledge of his scheme getting out to too many people, lest one of them be captured and spill the beans to the Death Eaters.

On the other hand, there was a strong chance his own fellows would keep trying to kill him and eventually succeed, rendering his whole plan moot.

"The day after Remus killed the official," she began.

"And kidnapped his son," Molly Weasley interrupted. "Just like Greyback."

Tonks repressed her urge to glare at the older woman.

"The next morning, I met up with him. He told me he had a plan, that he was going overthrow Greyback and bring the werewolves over to us."

Doubt began nibbling at her soul as she recounted that morning. It was difficult to remember specifics through the haze of tears and sadness—it was just after she miscarried on top of everything else—but it seemed like he'd made up the plan off the top of his head.

_Did he go to Greyback without the plan in mind? Was he initially _sincere _in swearing allegiance?_

She pushed that thought away. She'd take the matter up with her husband later.

"And that's what he's been doing since then," she continued. "The Snatcher missions have been part of that, to build up his cover. In the meantime, he's gotten allies in the pack and he's been training them, making them into a private army."

That got people muttering again. The notion of a werewolf having a private army no doubt reminded them of Greyback himself.

"Right now, his plan is to make Fiendfyre into something resembling a Muggle firebomb. That's why he had me kill Yaxley—"

The muttering swelled. Tonks imagined they were all shocked. Not only was she still loyal to Remus, but she was also acting as an assassin for him!

Shacklebolt raised his hand, silencing everyone.

"Killing Yaxley was his idea?" Shacklebolt asked.

Tonks nodded.

"Aye. Killing Yaxley was a test to see how well the firebomb would work."

She smiled grimly.

"All that remains is to find the opportunity to kill Greyback and make it look like the Death Eaters did it."

Muttering broke out all around the table. Shacklebolt's eyes widened.

_Bet he never considered that._

"So you're saying he intends to assassinate Greyback and bring the werewolves over to our side?" Shacklebolt asked.

Tonks put her hands on her hips.

"That's what I just said, didn't I?"

"I don't like it," an Order member that Tonks did not know said. "He'd be unleashing the werewolves on the Death Eaters in the name of _Greyback_, to avenge his death! Merlin forbid, what would happen if the werewolves actually won?"

"I doubt they could actually win," Shacklebolt said.

He turned to Tonks.

"How many conspirators does Lupin have?"

"I don't know," Tonks said. "I've only met one of them. I'd say perhaps five or six."

"Assuming there are five or six werewolves in the pack as skilled as Remus and the rest of them are perhaps half as skilled, I don't think they'd survive a straight-up war with the Death Eaters. Voldemort is just too powerful, and then there're the Lestranges on top of that."

"Rodolphus is dead."

"Rabastan is no slouch either," Shacklebolt cautioned. "And I was primarily thinking of Bellatrix."

Tonks' hand clenched into a fist at the sound of the name of her wicked aunt and she knew her hair was turning red. She exhaled, bringing her hair back to its usual pink.

"But if they had our help," Tonks said. "When the time comes…"

The other man snorted disdainfully.

"You want us to fight alongside werewolves?" he asked. "Are you barmy, girl?"

Tonks' fist clenched tighter.

"I'm 25 years old and I would have been a _mother_," Tonks half-growled. "If it weren't for Bellatrix and for _people like you_. Don't act like I'm a sodding child!"

Shacklebolt fixed the other man with a glare.

"Enough, Frank," he said.

The other man fell silent.

"Dora, I'm sorry, but I'm going to agree with Frank," Arthur Weasley said. "The werewolves as a group have done terrible things. Even Remus…"

"We've already discussed that," Tonks said. "It was to keep his…"

"Lupin lycanthropized Daniel!" Molly blurted out.

Jaws dropped all around the table. Muttering broke out everywhere.

Tonks felt as though she'd been punched in the stomach. That could not be possible — Remus hated his curse and would sooner die than pass it on, especially to a fellow Order member!

Molly's accusation fueled a burning anger inside Tonks' chest.

"Tell me, Mrs. Weasley," Tonks said, her formality like ice. "Do you have any evidence for this?"

"When we were leaving," Molly began. "I heard Greyback was going to kill him, but Lupin said he had another fate in mind for him. We haven't heard from him since."

Tonks nearly laughed, a ludicrous idea in the tense room.

"Is that it? Is that your only basis for believing Remus did to Gray what _Greyback_ did to him?"

Molly opened her mouth to retort, but George Weasley interrupted.

"Lupin saved my life," George said, voice wavering. "He could have killed me after Fr…Fred died, but he made me run, and take Fred's body with me. He saved Fred from... from —" George closed his eyes and visibly took a breath. "He saved Fred from being eaten."

George's revelation silenced everyone. Shacklebolt was the first to speak.

"Dora, I think emotions are getting a little too hot here."

_Easy for you to say. It's not your spouse the Order is intent on treating like a mad dog._

"I propose we adjourn and meet to discuss the matter later. In the meantime, there will no more attempts on Lupin."

"But what about Greyback?" Tonks said. "If we kill Greyback and Remus ends up in command, he won't be able to ally with us!"

Shacklebolt shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Dora, but I don't think his plan is likely to work."

February 12th, 1998 AD

7:30 PM

Tonks came in through the back door of her parents' home. She leaned against the door after she closed it and sighed.

"Is everything all right, Dora?" Andromeda Black Tonks asked.

"Kingsley's agreed to stop trying to kill Remus, Mum," she said.

Andromeda smiled.

"That's a wonderful thing. But why so glum?"

"Many Order members did not take it well. Bloody hell, Molly claimed Remus actually had Gray _bitten!_"

She peeled herself away from the door and slumped into a chair at the kitchen table.

"Molly and Arthur are our friends! But Molly said all those horrible things and Arthur didn't challenge them."

For a moment, it looked like Andromeda was repressing a smirk.

"Dear, have you ever known Arthur to contradict Molly publically?"

Tonks laughed grimly.

"A fair point, Mum."

Silence fell for a moment.

"Dora," Andromeda said. "Have you ever considered that Molly might be telling the truth?"

Tonks' head snapped up abruptly.

"Mum! You too?"

Andromeda shook her head.

"I've seen how people can go Dark. Bella wasn't always like she was now."

Imagining her aunt anything but a remorseless killer took some effort on Tonks' part.

"Really? What was she like?"

Andromeda smiled.

"She was always a tomboy, fond of playing roughly. It wasn't until she met a group of wizards who were calling themselves 'The Knights of Walpurgis' that…"

Tonks knew what the so-called 'Knights of Walpurgis' eventually became.

"Your father's Bible says 'bad company corrupts good character.' It's entirely possible that Remus might have gotten over his head."

"Mum, you don't know him like I do. He wouldn't…"

Her memory of Remus telling her his plan, how spur-of-the-moment it seemed, came back. Slowly, despite herself, she began doubting her husband.

Suddenly, something began pushing its way through the back door. Andromeda and her daughter jumped up, their argument forgotten, and pointed their wands at the intruder.

It was a silvery unicorn Patronus.

"Dora," it spoke. "It's Remus. Sorry I haven't been able to talk lately, but I've been really busy."

_Being Greyback's second-in-command can do that._

"Listen," it continued. "Valentine's Day is coming up, and I think we ought to do something. It's our first Valentine's Day together, after all."

The words brought a smile to Tonks' face.

"Send me a Patronus back in an hour or so. I've got a meeting coming up, but it should be a short one."

The unicorn winked out.

Tonks and her mother looked at each other.

"Now might be a good time to talk to Remus about that," Tonks said.

Andromeda nodded.


	50. Happy Awkward Valentine's Day

**Happy Awkward Valentine's Day**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

February 14th, 1998 AD

12:30 PM

"A picnic for Valentine's Day," Nymphadora Tonks said as she followed her husband down a narrow trail in the woods. "This is a really capital idea."

"Thank you," Remus Lupin said. "I aim to please."

Tonks laughed.

As they walked down the trail, Lupin flicked his wand about, laying Muggle-repelling charms and impromptu magical defenses in case any Death Eaters — particularly his wife's mad aunt — came calling.

_Besides_, he thought to himself. _We might be doing a bit more than eating today. Best be protected._

They emerged from the trail into an open clearing that lay sheltered beneath a cliff. The grass, though wintery brown, was not too high. The sun emerged from the clouds overhead, reflecting off the snow on the ground to make the whole area seem brighter.

"I found this spot while on patrol awhile back," Lupin said. "I felt it would be a good spot for a picnic."

Tonks nodded.

"Good idea."

Tonks spread out her colorful blanket while Lupin laid some wards around the clearing. The temperature rose, melting the snow on the ground. It would not do to have a picnic in the cold. He laid some additional protection atop the cliff for good measure.

_If only we could go out to a nice restaurant. Unfortunately, Bellatrix is still out there, plus she's not the only one after Tonks._

She could always go disguised, but Lupin did not think it fair she should pretend to be someone else during their first Valentine's Day as a married couple.

Lupin set down the picnic basket and peeled off his coat. Tonks did the same. Then they both sat down.

"Ladies first," Lupin said, gesturing to the basket.

"Don't mind if I do."

She pulled a big roast beef sandwich out of the basket, followed by a bag of crisps and an apple. Lupin did the same and they set to eating.

When they were finished, Lupin smiled.

"Dora," Lupin said, a gleam in his eye. "I've got a surprise for you."

"Really?" Tonks asked excitedly. "Do tell."

Lupin smiled.

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise. Reach into the basket."

Tonks looked inside.

"But the basket's empty."

Lupin's smile widened.

"Reach inside. Don't let the bottom of the basket fool you."

Lupin had ensorcelled the picnic basket so the bottom was false and there was more space below it. He couldn't generate as much space as a magic "bag of holding" or Mad-Eye Moody's legendary trunk, but he could create enough for his purposes.

She obeyed.

"Remus," she said, finding the surprise in the bottom of the basket. "What's this?"

The "this" in question was a bottle of elf-made wine, over two centuries old, and two fine goblets. Prior to him finding them in the Fafnir's hoard of tribute Greyback had squirreled away in various places, the last time he'd seen glasses that fine was in the house of James' parents many years ago.

_Rank hath its privileges. _

Wolf used his cut to go gambling and visiting prostitutes, both Muggles and witches willing to sleep with werewolves. Lupin was putting his share to better use.

"I think it's wine. And I think we should drink it."

Tonks smiled.

"Are you trying to ply me with alcohol, Remus Lupin?"

"Well, the thought has crossed my mind…"

Tonks laughed.

"That's fine with me. Hand me a glass!"

_Mischief managed._

He gestured and the bottle and goblets floated out of the basket. The cork popped out and the wine poured itself. One glass floated into Lupin's hand and the other into Tonks'.

"To us," he said, raising his glass. "And to victory."

"To both."

They clinked their glasses and drank.

Two glasses later, Lupin leaned forward and kissed her. She kissed him right back. The kissing went on for several minutes and then Lupin started moving down her neck.

"It has been entirely too long."

Tonks stiffened.

"Remus?" Tonks asked, eyes wide. "Outside?"

Tonks was most assuredly not shy in bed, but that was in _bed_, not in a clearing in the middle of the woods.

"Relax," Lupin whispered in her ear. "Nobody's going to come poking around. I've laid charms and wards that would keep most people away, and warn us of those they can't."

He smiled.

"It's just you and me."

Despite her nervousness, Tonks laughed.

"All right. But if I get any bug bites in strange places, it's on you."

"I can deal with that."

February 14th, 1998 AD

2 PM

"Oh _Merlin_," Tonks said from underneath him. "Professor Lupin, I didn't think you still had it in you."

Lupin smiled.

"Well, you could say I was just hungry like the wolf."

Tonks giggled. That warmed Lupin's heart. He decided to keep the jokes rolling.

"Who knew Miss Tonks liked it on all fours?"

She laughed. "I admit, not my usual cup of tea. But _damn_."

"So nice, we did it twice."

Tonks laughed again.

Lupin smiled as he traced a finger up and down her spine. It was a great pity the day had to end, that the two of them had to leave their comfortable little retreat and go back to the war.

That reminded him.

"Dora, there's something the Order needs to know."

Tonks sighed and turned over to face him. "What?"

"I was on a Death Eater raid the other night…"

The words were barely out of his mouth when he realized the enormous mistake he'd just made.

Tonks' jaw dropped.

"WHAT?" she demanded.

Her pink hair flared bright red. She crawled away and began gathering up her clothes.

_Oh shit. Time to do damage control._

"Dora, Dora please," he said, grabbing her by the heel.

That was an extraordinarily bad idea. Lupin found the heel he'd grabbed flying straight at his face. He tried to dodge, but Tonks was too fast. His nose crunched beneath the blow and he flew backward with a scream.

He slammed onto the brown grass, the second impact knocking the wind out of him.

"Remus?" Tonks asked, suddenly sounding afraid rather than angry. Through the bloody haze, he saw Tonks scramble over to him, her clothes in one arm and her wand in the other. "Remus, are you all right?"

"Fine," Lupin gasped, his voice sounding comically nasal. "I think my nose is broken, but I'm fine."

Tonks sighed.

"Thank Merlin," she said. She leaned forward and touched his nose with her wand. The touch brought pain, but it was gone in a second. She made a series of gestures and incantations and Lupin could see — but not feel — his broken nose knitting itself back together. For good measure, Tonks gestured with her wand and Vanished the blood away.

"Now," Tonks said, hair still red, anger in her eyes, and looming over him. "You owe me an explanation. And it better be a damn good one."

"May I sit up first? This grass itches."

Tonks sighed.

"All right. But no sudden moves."

Lupin sat up, with Tonks watching him warily. "It was either I go or Daniel," he said. "Greyback was going to send him just to mess with him, force him to fight against his own friends."

He swallowed.

"We knew going in that sometimes things had to be done…"

"There's pretending to go Dark, and then there's really going Dark. Moody told me that Snape didn't want to go back to the Death Eaters. But he did, and he ended up killing Dumbledore. Perhaps his repentance was real, once, but he fell back."

Being compared to _Snape_ of all people stung.

"Snape was a Marked Death Eater, Dora." He gestured with his arm. "Do you see the Mark here?"

"Well, no," she conceded. "But be glad I don't. Otherwise, I'd have to arrest you immediately."

The image that occurred to Lupin made him laugh, despite the circumstances.

"That would be amusing. You frog-march us into Kingsley's headquarters, wherever that is these days, both of us starkers. I don't claim to be particularly impressive, but I think they'd appreciate you."

Tonks reddened, then abruptly shoved her clothes aside and seized him by his shoulders.

"I'm serious, Remus. You're supposed to be pretending to be a loyal werewolf, not a bloody _Death Eater_." She paused. "Assuming for the moment they don't tempt you more than you can bear, the Dark Lord is a master Legilimens. He'll find out where your real loyalties lie and act accordingly."

That was something Lupin had not considered. He'd withstood a token mental probing from Voldemort before, but not a serious attack. Such a probing would be even more effective if Voldemort augmented it with the Cruciatus Curse.

"Okay," Lupin said. "New plan. I'm going to avoid any dealing with the Death Eaters as much as possible. If they throw a fit about it, well, anything that creates a rift between the werewolves and the Dark Lord is a good thing."

Tonks nodded, though her hair was still red. "That's a start."

"Now," Lupin said. "When I was on the raid, I managed to dissuade the Death Eaters from lingering by telling them every Order house was warded, so that if there was an attack, other Order members would come running. I just made that up off the top of my head, but I think that's a good idea."

"That's a good idea. I'll take it to Kingsley."

She paused.

"Now, since we're on that subject, I spoke up for you before the full Order. Kingsley has agreed to stop trying to kill you."

"That's certainly a relief."

"But," Tonks said, voice rising. "Molly said you lycanthropized Gray. Tell me that's not true."

The guilt welled up in Lupins's soul again.

He sighed.

"I only suggested that course of action to Greyback when Greyback was going to kill him. Where there's life, there's hope."

Lupin paused. Tonks slowly nodded.

"In any event, I didn't do the deed myself — it was Greyback who did it. Did Hermione ever tell you about the controversy over the Easter egg?"

Tonks shook her head.

"Molly thought Hermione was fooling around with both Harry and Viktor Krum after reading some nonsense from that Skeeter woman. She snubbed her that Easter over it. She's a good woman, but she has a tendency to jump to conclusions."

He paused again.

"In any event, Gray's joined my plot and is doing well. His first transformation wasn't too bad, since I've learned how to make them much less painful and destructive and have been able to spread that knowledge around."

"How so?"

"Don't try to fight it. Greyback revels in the change and between that and the fact he's got all the food he wants, he's actually in better shape than many non-werewolves. Merlin knows why he's kept that knowledge to himself." Lupin smiled. "I think my stock in the colony has risen considerably."

Tonks nodded.

"Have I assuaged your concerns sufficiently, dearest wife?"

Tonks nodded again

"All right," she said. "No more talk about the war."

Tonks pushed her clothes and wand to the edge of the blanket. Then she scooted over toward him. Lupin folded his arms around her middle and pulled her close, her buttocks against his thighs and his head atop hers.

A moment passed. Then Tonks leaned back, her shoulders against his chest, and looked up at him. She touched his nose.

"Sorry about that," she said, voice trembling. "I didn't mean…you just grabbed me and reflex took over." She gently stroked his nose and Lupin could see tears in her eyes. "Does it feel normal now?"

He gently took her wrist and laid her hand on her thigh.

"Don't worry about it, love. Perhaps you can make it up to me by buying me dinner somewhere, perhaps at a nice restaurant."

She laughed.

"I can do that."

She laid her head back on his shoulder.

"Remus, when this is over, what do you think we should do?"

"Well," Lupin began. "Once the actual war is over, I would imagine we'd both have a lot to do. You're an Auror, and if my plan works, I'd have Greyback's…"

Tonks shook her head.

"When it's _all_ over, I mean."

"Ah."

Lupin circled Tonks' navel with his index finger while he thought about it.

"Perhaps a trip," he said. "To Italy. There's a lot of history there, wizard and Muggle both. And lots of interesting things to see. Rome alone will take several days, and then there's Ravenna, Milan, Naples…"

Tonks pressed Lupin's hand against her stomach.

"Remus, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

Lupin made the connection.

"About children?"

She nodded.

"I know the circumstances weren't ideal last summer," she began.

The shadows of the old doubt and fear emerged from within Lupin's soul. He tried to force them back, knowing they were foolish, and was surprised at how easy that was compared to back then.

"But when the war's over, that'd be the perfect time, wouldn't it?"

"Yes," Lupin agreed. "Yes it would."

It was shocking, how easy it was to agree to that. Werewolves did not usually breed and he still wasn't entirely sure if any child of his would carry his curse.

Still, he'd envisioned having other children when he and Tonks saw Jack off to Hogwarts, and he knew going in that Jack was a werewolf. The boy was no longer part of the picture — that pained him — but the rest of the vision could still come true, if he held to his plan.

"So," Lupin said. "How many do you want?"

"Well, a boy and a girl for starters. I guess we can play it by ear from there."

"Just two? I was thinking at least four boys, who can roam about the Hogwarts grounds getting into trouble just like their dear old dad. Or perhaps eight? We could outdo Arthur and Molly."

Tonks shook her head.

"Pregnant and giving birth eight times? Ouch. Plus being a Metamorphmagus is a recessive trait, but the more children means it's more likely to crop up again. How would you like having several children who can all turn into each other? It would be dreadfully confusing."

"How about three then? A boy and a girl and we'll let fate decide on the third one."

Tonks laughed.

"Seems like a good plan to me."

Tonks relaxed. It seemed like she might be nodding off.

Lupin's inner Marauder decided to assert itself. He smiled.

_I know just what to do._

He slid one arm across Tonks' chest, enclosing both her upper arms. He slid his other hand away from her stomach up along the left portion of her rib cage.

Then he started tickling her. He kept her wiggling and laughing against him for at least thirty seconds before letting her go. She crawled away from him and looked back with a wry look on her face.

"Remind me not to drift off around you. Between the beach and this, you've shown yourself quite dangerous."

"I can be more dangerous, if you'd like." He cocked his head. "I notice someone's on their hands and knees again."

Tonks laughed.

"As they say, third time's the charm."


	51. Happy Birthday

**Happy Birthday**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

March 10th, 1998 AD

6:30 PM

"You really don't have to do this," Remus Lupin said as Fenrir Greyback escorted him into the former conference room that served as the inner sanctum for the werewolf overlord and his attendants.

"Nonsense, Remus," Greyback said, slapping him on the back. "It's your birthday. It's the least I could do."

_The least you could do was not hold this party, so I could spend the evening with Dora and her mother_, Lupin thought. The two of them had sent him a gift — with an added comment from Tonks apologizing about the nose — but Lupin thought it rather suicidal to bring them to the colony. He was careful to keep his true thoughts from touching his face.

Unfortunately, it seemed Lupin's poker face wasn't enough to hide his thoughts from Greyback.

"You know," the senior werewolf chided. "You could have invited your Auror if you wanted. She married you and would have gladly borne you a son, despite your being a werewolf. I can appreciate that."

Then his face darkened.

"But Andromeda Tonks will never darken the doors of this colony so long as I'm alive."

Lupin nodded. Greyback could hold grudges as long as Snape and it had not been that long since Andromeda had written the letter denouncing Lupin.

Despite his concerns, he'd actually momentarily considered inviting Tonks, if anything to generate goodwill for the Order among the werewolves. However, he'd noticed a dark-clad figure in the woods surrounding the colony on more than one occasion. He suspected it was Bellatrix Lestrange and he knew she did not regard the alliance with the werewolves so highly that it would stop her from trying to murder her niece if she spotted her there.

"Now, onto happier things," Greyback said, his expression changing completely. "I've pulled out all the stops."

To Greyback's credit, he had. Huge cuts of roast beef hung on skewers above the center of an enormous table. Two chests of ice and elf-brewed beer flanked the meat. Gifts sat piled on another table. Greyback's entire inner circle was there, along with favored lesser members of the colony. Lupin spotted Daniel Gray, who still looked uncomfortable in the colony.

A group of musicians stood in the corner, holding an assortment of classical instruments. Two large werewolves stood nearby, keeping an eye on them.

"Who are they?" Lupin asked.

Greyback smiled.

"There were some musicians in the Ministry holding tank for Muggleborns when I was last there. I figured we could get more use out of them than the Dementors could. I'll see how long I can hide them here before somebody notices."

Greyback looked at the captive musicians.

"All right, the guest of honor's here!" he called out, raising his voice. "Play!"

The musicians raised their bows to their instruments and began to play.

"Remus is here!" Greyback called to the others. "Dig in! Be sure to leave the hero's portion alone, that's for him."

One werewolf stepped forward and began cutting pieces off and floating them to the waiting plates of the other werewolves. He carefully avoided the loin. Lupin knew that portion was reserved for him alone. It certainly looked appetizing.

_I won't be able to eat all of it. Perhaps Dora would like some?_

On the other hand, if he distributed the leftovers to other werewolves, it would increase his stock in the colony tremendously.

He decided, since he was the guest of honor, he might as well enjoy it. He stepped forward and the chef sliced a generous portion of the "hero's meat" for him.

He was in the middle of eating when Jason Willis and Tabitha Alexander came to see him.

_Oh bugger._

He had avoided interacting with those two as much as possible outside of teaching them Fiendfyre. They, along with a thuggish type named Joseph Marshall, were the intended scapegoats of his plan. He did not want to form any kind of connection with them. It would make it harder to kill them.

"Happy birthday," Willis said.

Lupin nodded, pointing to his full mouth.

Alexander slid up to him, uncomfortably close.

"We heard about what the Dark Lord offered you," she whispered. "It's a great honor."

Lupin cocked his head in the general direction of Greyback. Hopefully that'd get her to shut up.

"Don't worry about it," Willis said. "The Dark Lord and Greyback are allies. The more werewolves who bear the Mark, the better relations will be."

"Have you got the Mark?" Lupin said, voice half-full.

"Not yet," Willis said. "But we got the same offer you did."

Lupin smiled, hoping it wasn't too fake.

"Congratulations," he said. "Now if you'll excuse me." He pointed at his largely empty plate.

He managed to disengage from them and headed back towards the table for more meat. The chef put more beef loin on his plate. Behind them, the two Voldemort-worshippers laughed — probably at him. They probably knew he'd snubbed them, and would be prickly for awhile.

Lupin took a bite, then turned to see Jacob Merrill coming towards him.

_Uh oh._

Merrill's daughter Cassandra was one of the brightest students in the class Lupin taught the children of the colony, but she was also one of the most morbid. Lupin worried if he didn't find some way to channel her interests away from the Dark Arts, the colony might have a werewolf mini-Bellatrix on its hands. And Lupin suspected that she'd been getting her ideas from her parents.

_Perhaps I need to add to the list of scapegoats?_

"Remus," the elder Merrill said. "I've been meaning to talk to you these last few weeks, but I haven't been able to find you."

"Well," Lupin said in what he hoped sounded friendly. "You've got me now. What would you like to say?"

"Well, for starters, happy birthday." The other man smiled. Lupin found himself liking the man, although he knew he ought not trust him.

"Thank you," Lupin replied.

"I'd also like to talk to you about Cassandra."

_Oh boy._

"Well, what would you like to discuss?"

"I'd like to thank you, for your presentation on the Cruciatus Curse before the Order attacked," Merrill said suddenly. "Cassandra's always been the type to get very interested in a particular subject, and her interest in the Dark Arts has been rather unsettling lately."

Lupin's jaw nearly dropped.

"Showing her just what that curse can do scared her a bit. She handed over a Dark Arts book she's kept hidden from us and is now getting really interested in Transfiguration."

_Oh thank Merlin._

"Glad to be of service," Lupin said.

He would be sure to encourage her in that interest as much as possible. He'd need wizards and witches trained in Dark Magic for the second phase in his plan, but he'd prefer adults who had not been steeped in the Dark Arts while their consciences were still forming.

The fact that her parents weren't the ones feeding her the things she was saying still unsettled him. If she was coming up with them on her own, she was farther gone than he thought. He resolved to buy a very nice Transfiguration book and give it to her, hoping to steer her away from the Dark Arts all the faster.


	52. Disagreement With The In Laws

**A Disagreement with the In-Laws**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay. Been busy these last few weeks. Rest assured, this is going to get finished, hopefully in early 2010.

March 25th, 1998 AD

3 PM

Though he, strictly speaking, did not have to do this anymore, Remus Lupin put in a shift patrolling the edges of the free-fire zone surrounding the werewolf colony. It was good to get outside for awhile, plus it generated good feelings among the other werewolves.

There was also the dark-clad figure he'd seen in the woods around the colony recently. If it turned out to be Bellatrix Lestrange, he had no intention of engaging her — if he managed to defeat her, that would bring down the wrath of Voldemort, and Greyback would probably sacrifice him to save the colony — but he could at least confirm who it was.

"I saw something moving over there," Lupin told the werewolf immediately under him. "You're in charge of the patrol while I go check it out."

"Sir," he said. "If something should happen…"

"Then you'll see it coming and be ready."

Lupin turned and walked towards the region of the woods where he'd last seen the dark-clad figure. He'd spotted whoever it was in that area before, so the mysterious intruder was probably in the habit of using this as a vantage point. The area had its advantages — it had a clear view of much of the colony through a gap in the trees.

_I should probably have this garrisoned. This would make a good enemy reconnaissance post or even a firing point for someone good at long-range spellcasting._

Lupin passed beneath some low-hanging branches, out of sight of the patrol. The forest closed up around him. He walked along a flat area partway down a hill, keeping a wary eye on the ground as it rose above him. He did not want anyone to catch him from above.

He stopped walking and looked around. Nobody was there. Lupin was not particularly experienced in woodcraft, so he figured whoever was out there — if there even was someone out there — must have heard him coming.

"Why if it isn't the cancer gnawing away at the House of Black," Bellatrix said from behind him.

Lupin whirled, raising his wand, only to find Bellatrix's wand pointing straight at his face.

_Not in a good position right now._

Lupin forced himself to smile.

"I take it someone else is enjoying a brisk walk in these woods," he said. "Great minds think alike."

Bellatrix scowled.

"Only in your mind, _doggie_," she retorted.

Bellatrix smiled.

"I suppose you know why I'm here."

Lupin thought for a moment. Perhaps the evil woman thought Dora made a habit of visiting the colony due to her marriage to a werewolf?

"I assume it has to do with my lovely wife."

An expression of revulsion crossed the evil woman's face.

"Nothing would please me more than to wring where she is out of you," she growled, a warped grin crossing her face all the while. "Use the Cruciatus until you're a gibbering wreck, just like the Longbottoms."

Anger flared in Lupin's heart, but he kept it under control. He might take his chances with any other Death Eater, but Bellatrix was quick and strong as well as evil. She'd curse his head off before he got his wand all the way up. And there was still the wrath of Voldemort to consider.

"Unfortunately," she continued. "The Dark Lord thinks you beasts are too useful to simply put down on a whim."

Her grin widened.

"For now," she gloated.

_More proof to convince the others the Death Eaters killed Greyback, when the time comes._

Of course, that assumed he got back to the colony alive and with his mind whole. Bellatrix would have to be foolish not to try to alter his memory.

"He also thinks you and the little Auror amusing. Two lovers, on opposite sides of the war and still together…"

"I wonder, is he envious? Considering how he probably can't love anyone…"

Anger flared on Bellatrix's face, quickly replaced by a more subtle malevolence.

"I had a little encounter with widdle Potter, Weasley, and the Mudblood a few weeks ago," she said, almost casually.

Lupin's guts clenched. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had encountered _her_?

His fear must have shown on his face, for Bellatrix laughed.

"Didn't have them for too long," she said airily.

_Oh thank God, Merlin, Fate, or whomever._

"But I had such fun with the Mudblood while I did," Bellatrix continued. "The way she screamed and writhed under the Cruciatus. And the howling I could hear from the blood-traitor. It reminded me so much of _Frank_…"

He hoped Hermione came out of the situation all right. Prolonged Cruciatus could destroy minds, but that took hours of continuous application.

"So," Lupin said, trying to sound confident. "What happened?"

Bellatrix arched an eyebrow.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Well," Lupin said. "It would give you more time to gloat, more time to show off your glory."

_Not that you overpowering the kids is much of a victory, given your greater experience._

Instead, Bellatrix just laughed.

"I think I'll keep you in suspense," she said airily. "You loved those brats."

Lupin felt sick, but he mastered the growing grief. Bellatrix might be trying to keep him in suspense, or she might be trying to hide something embarrassing.

"You know, Bella, I think the real reason you're not telling me is—"

Bellatrix thrust her face into his.

"_Don't_ call me that," she ordered. "_Ever_."

The ultimate retort materialized in Lupin's brain.

"Would you prefer Auntie?"

Bellatrix's lips peeled back from her teeth. A low growl emerged from her mouth and her wand hand began to shake, as though she was having trouble restraining herself.

Lupin did not get the chance to further test the limits of her self-control, for a huge blue-silver wolf erupted onto the scene, landing on the ground nearby.

"Remus Lupin," it growled with the voice of Fenrir Greyback. "I need to speak with you."

Lupin smiled at Bellatrix.

"I'm sorry, but I'm needed elsewhere at the moment."

He smiled.

"Auntie."

Her railings filled his ears as he Disapparated back to the edge of the free-fire zone.

March 25th, 1998 AD

3:30 PM

"What do you know about Harry Potter?" Greyback demanded.

Lupin repressed the urge to swallow nervously as he faced his overlord over the latter's great desk.

"Not much," Lupin said. "All I know is that Dumbledore gave him some kind of task before he died. Harry took two of his friends with him and I have not heard from them since."

"Don't bother trying to hide who he's traveling with. I know it was Weasley and Granger."

Lupin's heart sank. Greyback laughed.

"I brought them in, along with some other Snatchers."

Lupin's heart leaped. Although he suspected Bellatrix had lost the kids, the worry that the insane woman had hurt or killed them still gnawed at his heart.

"They had a bloody fine sword," Greyback growled. "But Lestrange didn't want to give it up. Got a mite unfriendly when we tried to push the issue."

He rubbed his neck, as if recalling an injury. Lupin felt strangely conflicted about that — Greyback had put the curse on him and deserved every bit of pain in the world for that, but part of him disliked Bellatrix for hurting the senior werewolf.

He hoped his loyalties weren't starting to shift.

"They got away though. Lestrange was right pissed about that," Greyback interrupted, yanking Lupin away from his momentary introspection.

_Oh thank Merlin._

"All three of them?" Lupin asked.

Greyback eyed him suspiciously.

"Why do you care? They're enemies."

"They also did not care what I was," Lupin said. "They might be useful to our cause."

"Very well. What kind of task did Dumbledore give him? What's he doing?"

"I don't know, sir."

Anger crossed Greyback's face.

"I made you my second-in-command," he growled. "I can un-make you just as easily. And the things I can do to Tonks…"

"I still don't know what Harry and his friends are up to. The things a person doesn't know can't be gotten out of them with Veritaserum or the Cruciatus. Surely there are things you keep from me."

Greyback was silent for a moment.

"A fair point."

He laughed grimly.

"The kids looked like they'd been traveling. If the old man wanted them to wander around Britain while the Dark Lord tightened his grip, he must have gone senile long ago."

Greyback fell silent again. After several moments had passed, Lupin began edging towards the door.

"Wait."

Lupin froze. Greyback leaned forward.

"I want you to train the army harder than ever. My little tiff with Voldemort's attack bitch showed us we've still got a ways to go if we want to fight them and win."

Lupin nodded.

"Understood, sir."

Lupin turned to go.

"Wait."

Lupin froze again.

"All three of the kids got away," Greyback said. "It's a pity — the bitch offered me that Mudblood. She'd be a fine addition to the pack."

The notion of Hermione being lycanthropized made Lupin somewhat sick, especially since he had some idea as to what Greyback intended for her. But he had to play along, lest Greyback dwell on his concern for the kids and question his loyalties.

"She would be, sir. She's a smart one."


	53. Taboo Breaking

**Taboo-Breaking**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

April 10th, 1998 AD

11:30 AM

Nymphadora Tonks lay on the sofa of her mother's house, her feet propped up on a pile of cushions, her wand in her ear like a pencil, and some Screeching Weasel playing on her father's Muggle boom box. She had a clipboard in her lap and was composing a letter to her husband.

_Dearest Remus_, she wrote. _Not a whole lot has been going on lately._

At least, not a whole lot she could put into writing. Patronuses were best used for delivering sensitive information; letters could be found and read, but Patronuses vanished when they delivered their messages. Due to Lupin's situation, it would be unwise in the extreme to include anything about the Order's current activities or her hidden father.

So she wrote him about innocuous things and to arrange meetings. The memory of what went on at many of their meetings brought a smile to her face. She wondered if the other werewolves figured out the purpose of many of his disappearances from the colony and ribbed her husband about them.

Then something flashed out of the corner of her eye. In an instant, she was up on her feet, wand in her hand and pointing at a blue-white lynx sitting in the middle of the living room.

"Tonks, it's Kingsley," he said. "Come to the meeting-place. I've got a plan."

Tonks nodded. She set her letter and clipboard on the table, then immediately Disapparated.

April 10th, 1998 AD

11:35AM

Tonks materialized in the foyer of the Fidelius-protected house in Kent the Order had been using lately.

"Welcome," Kingsley Shacklebolt said. He was singling her out for attention, something that was simultaneously flattering and suspicious.

"Oi," Tonks said. "What're we up to?"

"Kingsley liked your idea about the Taboo," George Weasley said. He paused for a moment.

_He's expecting Fred to finish the sentence_, Tonks thought, sadness filling her heart. _But Fred's not here._

"So," George said, somewhat slowly. "He's going to deliberately trigger the Taboo, with all of us here."

"Thank you, George," Shacklebolt said. "I intended to explain it to her myself."

Tonks was taken aback. She was glad that the Order was using her idea, but to use it so suddenly?

Kingsley must have sensed her shock.

"Dora, we've re-established contact with Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

Her heart leaped.

"How are they?" she demanded.

"They're fine. Hermione was a bit shaken at first. Bellatrix used the Cruciatus on her at Malfoy Manor."

Anger erupted within her at the treatment of the girl she considered a surrogate little sister. Her pink hair took on a distinctly reddish cast. She ground her teeth. Her wicked aunt was going to pay for that.

"But everyone's healthy now. Everyone except Potter's elf."

"Dobby? What happened to him?"

"Bellatrix killed him when he rescued the kids."

Tonks had been so angry at Bellatrix that she hadn't fully processed what Shacklebolt was telling her.

"What were the kids doing at Malfoy Manor of all places?"

Shacklebolt sighed.

"It seems Harry inadvertently triggered the Taboo and they were detained by Greyback and some others. Harry was able to signal Dobby, who rescued them at the cost of his life."

He paused.

"That reminded me of what you suggested earlier. Time to put the Taboo to good use."

April 10th, 1998 AD

Noon

Shacklebolt popped into existence in a clearing in a forest in the West Country. Seconds later, the Order materialized around him. They quickly disappeared into the brush, hiding beneath Invisibility Cloaks or vanishing behind Disillusionment Charms. Tonks took up a position behind a large bush, close to the senior Auror.

Shacklebolt stood alone in the center of the clearing, his wand pointed straight down at the ground.

"Voldemort," he said, as if it was the easiest thing in the world. "Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort."

It didn't take long for this to get results. A series of thunderclaps split the air as a dozen robed and masked figures materialized around him. Tonks' heart sank — she expected more Snatchers, not full Death Eaters. Perhaps the enemy had tweaked the Taboo to identify whoever said the forbidden name.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt," one of the masked men said. "We meet again."

Another Death Eater laughed.

"The Snatchers nearly got you once thanks to the Taboo. You Order people must be dumber than we thought."

Kingsley smiled. Then he said one word.

"Dumbledore."

All around the assembled Death Eaters, the ambush sprung. Red light flashed and multiple Death Eaters fell unconscious. Although Shacklebolt and Tonks could use the Killing Curse, the former was standing in the midst of multiple enemies, who were in turn ringed by members of the Order. Such a situation was ripe for friendly fire.

Of course, once the battle broke apart into the usual duels, then Tonks fully intended to take a few scalps.

Though half the Death Eaters fell to the ambush, that still left six of them ready and willing to fight. A wave of Killing Curses stabbed at the surrounding woods. One passed perilously close to Tonks' left ear, singeing the flesh. Luckily, no Order members died.

Other Death Eaters revived some of their unconscious allies. The number of active Death Eaters rose from six to eight, the whirling chaos of the battle keeping more from being revived.

Amid the black-clad swarm, Shacklebolt hurled jets of green light, striking down two of the Death Eaters immediately. One Death Eater dodged a blow and hurled a Killing Curse of his own. Shacklebolt stepped aside, enabling the Death Eater to revive two more unconscious terrorists.

Tonks launched herself forward, dodging a Killing Curse and binding the perpetrator to a nearby tree. Another Death Eater lunged at her, making the wand movements for a Killing Curse that would strike her between the eyes.

Tonks was quicker on the draw.

_Avada Kedavra!_

Her jet of green light hit the Death Eater in the chest and finished him.

She whirled on a third Death Eater, who immediately backed away. He paused for a moment, then rapidly looked around him.

Tonks smiled. Kingsley must've already laid the anti-Disapparition jinx.

The Death Eater then leaped at Tonks, desperation giving him speed. The two collided and went tumbling, both of them ending up on their backs. Tonks hopped back onto her feet and raised her wand.

Then another, taller Death Eater stepped between the two of them. The new arrival pulled back her hood, revealing long black hair. Tonks' heart sank as she realized who she was facing.

"Why if it isn't ickle Tonskie?" Bellatrix Lestrange laughed. "Your pet was awfully rude to me. I think I'll punish you for going easy on the obedience training."

Green light flashed as her wicked aunt sought once more to prune her family tree. Tonks twisted her body between two Killing Curses and fired one of her own straight at the older woman.

Bellatrix dodged the blow and cast a whirling wind of fire around herself, forcing Tonks and others back. Amidst the flames, Bellatrix laughed.

"Like it hot?"

Animal-heads erupted from the flames and bounded towards the Order personnel engaged in combat with the Death Eaters. Tonks immediately knew what to do.

_Thank Merlin for Remus's lessons._

She raised her free hand and the animals froze. Some Order members' robes were singed, but nobody burned alive like John Yaxley. The burning beasts strained at Tonks' resistance, but she strained right back and kept them under control.

Bellatrix merely laughed.

"Dabbling in Dark Magic? Not so goody-two-shoes, are you?"

The notion of any of her actions making her wicked aunt proud enraged Tonks. With a scream, she gave the Fiendfyre a shove, driving the fiery animals back towards Bellatrix. Though small fires erupted on her black robes and sweat trickled out from beneath her mask, the evil witch managed to keep the Fiendfyre from consuming her.

Then the fires began winking out. Tonks pushed forward, hoping to bury Bellatrix in the remaining fiery animals. The animals vanished before they could do more than scorch Bellatrix's robes some more. Tonks barely avoided a pair of Killing Curses the evil woman cast seconds after the last fires vanished.

"Time to die, you little slut," Bellatrix grated, voice ragged.

She unleashed a stream of Killing Curses, forcing Tonks back. Two curses cut through her jeans, burning the flesh beneath. Tonks was lucky there was no direct contact between her skin and the magic or she'd be as dead as the men she and Shacklebolt had killed earlier.

Tonks hurled a pair of Killing Curses at her evil aunt, who weaved between them. One of them hurtled straight at George, who grappled hand to hand with another Death Eater.

"George!" Tonks screamed.

Her voice grabbed his attention and he saw the curse coming. He ducked and rolled. The Death Eater, thinking his foe fleeing, rushed after him. The curse missed him and slammed into a tree, but the daggers of wood torn free by the explosion put him on the ground.

Bellatrix laughed.

"Heard one of them is dead already," she said. "So eager to kill both of them?"

Bellatrix flicked her wand and one of the Order members lunged at Tonks, obviously under Imperius. He cast a Killing Curse at her, as did Bellatrix herself. Both of them came at her at angles that would be impossible to dodge.

Tonks did the dirt, barely avoiding one of the curses. She did not avoid her aunt's descending foot, which slammed into her sternum. The blow knocked the wind out of her and pinned her to the ground.

Bellatrix laughed.

"Lights out!" she said with a toss of her hair.

Then a green light flashed and Bellatrix leaped off her niece. Shacklebolt followed up with another Killing Curse, while George and another Order member used less lethal spells. The there of them forced Bellatrix away from the fallen Auror.

Tonks dragged herself to her feet, murder in her dark eyes and her hair bright red. Bellatrix gestured, sending George flying, and then did the same to another Order member. Shacklebolt faced her alone.

"Oi!" Tonks called. "It's me you want, bitch!"

Other Order members surged at Bellatrix. She dodged their blows, forcing them back with Killing Curses and laughing all the while.

"Last time I checked, you were the one being mounted by a dog," Bellatrix called out. "Next time!" Then she grabbed a tree branch and disappeared from sight with a final laugh.

_Portkeys_, Tonks growled mentally. _That's a way around an anti-Disapparition jinx_.

With Bellatrix gone, an uneasy quiet settled over the clearing. Tonks had been so focused on the duel with her aunt that she didn't see the other Death Eaters retreat.

Shacklebolt gestured with his wand and the fallen Death Eaters floated up from the ground. He gestured again and they drifted to an open spot on the ground and lay in a nice little line of black-clad figures.

"Good job," Shacklebolt said to the surviving Order members. "We've just deprived the Dark Lord of ten servants today."

"Ten?" one of the Order members asked.

Shacklebolt's face hardened and he gestured to the five captives.

"We've no Azkaban to put them," he said. "And we can't let them run free."

Tonks' heart sank. She knew what was coming next. He nodded to her.

"If you'd come here."

Slowly, reluctantly, Tonks took a step forward towards the fallen enemies.

"What?" another Order member asked. "How do we know they're not under Imperius?"

Shacklebolt shook his head. "We don't. But we can't take the chance."

"At least unmask them!" the man said. "Check to see if there's anyone we know would never go over!"

Shacklebolt shook his head.

"Martin, that would make it all the more difficult."

"Blast it, man, one of them could be your wife!"

Shacklebolt stiffened. Tonks knew the senior Auror's wife was out of the country, in hiding somewhere, but it was still possible the Death Eaters could pull something like that.

"No," Shacklebolt repeated. "Let's get this done before the bitch comes back with reinforcements."

He pointed his wand at one of the fallen Death Eaters. Green light flashed and the terrorist was no more.

He turned to face her.

"Tonks," he ordered.

Tonks swallowed.

"Yes sir."

She raised her wand and pointed it at one of the fallen Death Eaters. She drew a breath. She'd used the Killing Curse before, in the battles after Dumbledore's death. She'd used Fiendfyre — not Unforgivable but infamous nonetheless — to kill Yaxley and decapitate the Voldemort-controlled Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Still, those were men who faced her with wands drawn — or in the case of Yaxley, could have, if he knew who she was. These were incapacitated, harmless men.

One of them twitched, struggling against the ropes that bound him.

"Tonks," Shacklebolt repeated.

She swallowed. At least this one could conceivably get loose and cause trouble.

_Avada Kedavra._

Green light flashed again. There were three more living Death Eaters to kill.

She pivoted on her heel.

_Avada Kedavra._

There was a fourth flash of green light. Shacklebolt's curse had struck at an angle and knocked the Death Eater into the single survivor, knocking his mask sideway. Rather than the skull-like visage that struck terror into so many — and hid the eyes that turned dim and glassy when the jet of green light ripped the life away — Tonks saw a man's face.

The face was thin, with olive skin that looked like the Spanish people she'd seen on a girls' trip long ago. A single lock of dark hair fell across his forehead.

Slowly, she raised her wand for the killing blow. Her hand trembled slightly as she looked down her wand into the Death Eater's face.

_Avada Keda…_

She could not finish the incantation. She grit her teeth. She was an Auror, damn it! The wizarding public's shield, and sword, against the Dark. She felt the eyes of the others on her back. They probably thought her weak, too sympathetic to the enemy now that her husband was among them…

_Avada Kedavr…_

Looking the unconscious man in the face, she still could not do it.

"Dora," Shacklebolt said softly.

Tonks' gaze snapped sideways.

"If you can't do this, let me."

_Thank Merlin._

Tonks stepped back. Shacklebolt raised his wand. A jet of green light flashed and the man was dead. It was like flipping a switch.

Shacklebolt lowered his wand.

"It's done," he said. "Let's strip the bodies and get out of here."

The other Order members made their way forward and began removing the Death Eaters' masks and clothes. Voldemort would not be able to recover uniforms and magical artifacts from this lot, and finding the naked corpses would likely be a shock for whatever minions Bellatrix brought with her.

Now that the fight was over and the adrenaline surge dying down, Tonks began feeling the pains exertion and her brief defeat by her aunt brought. She scowled.

_Next time it's my turn, auntie._


	54. A Feast And More Plotting

**A Feast and More Plotting**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

April 25th, 1998 AD

6:30 PM

Fenrir Greyback sat at the head of a great table, with Remus Lupin sitting at his right. A huge roasted pig sat in the middle of the table and other members of the werewolf elite sat along either side.

Dozens of similar tables had been set up throughout the vast open space in the center of the colony. Huge roasted pigs sat in the center of each and the hundreds of werewolves were digging in. The Muggleborn musicians Greyback had liberated had a dais set up amidst the tables and played there.

_I can't say I'm not having fun_, Lupin thought as he cut into his roast pork. _Even though it would be nice to have Dora here._

However, this was the second time in two months Greyback had thrown a major feast for the colony. He'd never done this before, even though there were the resources to do it after Voldemort took over.

He looked at the roasted pig. He could thank the Lord above for small mercies that it wasn't a roasted Order member serving as the primary course. With Greyback, one could never be sure.

He finished cutting his pork and chewed on a piece thoughtfully. He listened to the music for a moment. The question about why there was a second feast so soon after the first one continued to dog him.

"Sir?" he asked.

Greyback, caught in the midst of chewing, scowled at Lupin. He forced the food in his mouth to the side, bulging his left cheek almost comically, before answering.

"Eh?"

"I'm wondering, sir," Lupin said. "Why we're having a feast so soon after the last one?"

"Looking a gift horse in the mouth, eh, Remus?"

"I wouldn't say that, sir," Lupin said hesitantly.

"We'll discuss this later," Greyback growled, terminating that phase of the conversation. "Tell me about the improvements you've made to our defenses."

"Well," Lupin began. "Everyone who pulls shifts on the roof is now trained in Fiendfyre. We can turn the entire empty space around the colony into a crematorium if anyone tries to cross it en masse."

Greyback laughed. Lupin hoped for a moment he'd choke on his pork, but unclogging an obstructed throat was easy magic. Greyback could do it himself and there were plenty of others who could do it even if he couldn't.

"Good. What else?"

Lupin had thought about containing Fiendfyre in easily-broken boxes buried under the ground, a sort of Dark Magic analogue to Muggle land mines, but he still planned to use something like that to kill Greyback. It would not do to give his enemies within the colony clues.

Still, he'd taken other steps.

"I've made Portkeys to every important location in the colony. The main entryway, the classrooms for the children, and your office, for example. In the event of enemy penetration, we'll be able to respond much faster."

Such a plan could also give Lupin and his allies easy access to Greyback's office when the time came to take over.

Greyback nodded.

"Good."

He finished chewing and swallowed his food.

"I'll be speaking to you later. Right now, I've got something to do."

He rose from his chair and headed for the great gorge where the train used to run. Lupin knew that the senior werewolf would serve as a judge for the pit fights between werewolves that would soon take place.

_Most of the others like those_, he thought, watching as others expectantly trailed after Greyback. _But it's not really my bag._

April 25th, 1998 AD

10 :30 PM

"You wished to see me, sir?" Lupin asked.

Greyback nodded.

"Sit down," he ordered, gesturing at one of the comfortable chairs in his office.

Lupin obeyed.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this," the senior werewolf said. "But I made you my second in command, regardless of whose side you were on before."

He scowled.

"There's a reason I'm having so many feasts so close together, and it has nothing to do with my generous nature."

_I could have guessed that._

"There's been more muttering in the colony against the alliance with the Dark Lord," Greyback continued. "You've been wondering where James Johnson is?"

Now that Greyback had brought it up, Lupin did wonder where Johnson went. Johnson was a Snatcher who'd been having doubts lately. Lupin pondered recruiting him, but his tendency to express these doubts rather loudly ultimately changed his mind. If he openly tried to talk about the plan, the Vow would kill him, and Lupin did not want anyone to die without reason.

"I have, sir."

"He's at the bottom of the Thames, in a bag," Greyback said. "He said the Dark Lord intended to kill us when he's done with us. Not that I think he's wrong, but I'd told him to stuff it before."

Lupin's eyes widened.

"Why didn't you ask me to talk to him, sir?"

Lupin wondered for a moment if he said too much, but Greyback laughed.

"You have your uses, and outright thuggery isn't one of them. I had Wolf for that."

_And it's a good thing you don't have him anymore._

"Johnson had to be silenced, permanently, lest the whole pack think the Death Eaters can't be trusted and push for an end to the alliance. If there's to be war, I want it to come at a time of my choosing, when we're ready."

He rubbed his neck in the same way he had when recounting the incident at Malfoy Manor.

"Wizard for wizard, the Death Eaters can crush us, and there are more of them now than there are us. If we fight on their terms, we'll all die. Our only hope to beat them is to outnumber them, take them by surprise, or both."

Lupin cocked his head. Outnumber them, when there are more of them?

"Do you propose we bite some more people, sir?"

That would be entirely too much. If Greyback wanted to start biting people by the hundreds to outnumber the Death Eaters at once rather than picking a few here and there to avoid being noticed, that might well be the time to initiate the coup even if it jeopardized the possibility of bringing the werewolves over to the Order. Lupin still felt bad every time he looked at Daniel Gray, and that was the only way to avoid the Order man being killed. He would not be able to join in any mass lycanthropy and stay sane.

Greyback shook his head.

"However nice that would be, we'd have to keep it quiet to avoid the Dark Lord figuring out what we're up to. I've got another idea."

He reached into a drawer on his desk and pulled out a file labeled "Operation Full Moon." He handed it to Lupin.

Lupin opened the file and looked at the contents. His eyes widened as he read.

_Merlin!_

The file contained a set of orders in the event Greyback and/or the upper leadership of the colony were assassinated by the Death Eaters. If this were to happen, the werewolves were to attack the centers of the Dark Lord's puppet government, as well as hunt down everyone bearing the Dark Mark they could find. Detailed instructions existed for Bellatrix Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, Justin Avery, Michael Mulciber, and Voldemort himself.

Lupin repressed a smile, which wasn't difficult given the shock dominating his face. By giving him these plans, Greyback had given Lupin one of the last things he needed for his plan to work. He already knew how he would kill Greyback and he figured he could use what the Death Eater told him the night Greyback sent him out in a robe and mask as proof of ill intent, but he wasn't quite sure what to do afterward beyond contacting Kingsley.

"What do you want me to do with these, sir?" Lupin asked.

"Give them to trustworthy people. In case they come after me, they'll probably come after you too, but they might view the others as unimportant and save them for later."

Greyback smiled grimly.

"With me and you gone, we might not win, but we'll at least make them regret what they did."

Lupin nodded.

"We will, sir."


	55. The Crazed Aunt Strikes Back

**The Crazed Aunt Strikes Back**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

May 2nd, 1998 AD

7:45 PM

Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and Andromeda Black Tonks had just sat down for a late family dinner when the door exploded inward. All three of them leaped to their feet, wands in their hands and expecting the worst.

The worst arrived. Bellatrix Lestrange walked in, an evil grin on her face.

"Why if it isn't beauty and the _beast_," she sneered, focusing all her attention on Lupin and Tonks.

A jet of green light flashed from her wand, hurtling straight at Tonks. The young Auror spilled out of her chair a second before the Killing Curse struck, blowing it to splinters. Andromeda moved to defend her daughter, but a gesture from her evil sister slammed her into the floor.

Lupin wasted no time with half-measures. He hurled a Killing Curse of his own. Bellatrix dodged and the curse shattered a photo of Ted, Andromeda, and their young daughter at a beach sometime in the early 1980s.

Tonks hurled a Killing Curse, but Bellatrix dodged that. Her reply hurtled straight at Tonks' torso. Tonks twisted sideways, the jet of green light splitting the fabric of her shirt beneath her breasts as it passed.

Tonks' movement took her into the path of another curse from Bellatrix. The Blasting Curse struck Tonks in the chest and smashed her through the table. Bellatrix leaped forward, wand making the movements for another Killing Curse.

Green light flashed. Lupin's heart leaped into his throat.

A dinner plate leaped into the path of the curse and exploded, showering the kitchen with porcelain shards. Andromeda rose up from the ground, her dark eyes alight with anger. The fragments ceased flying and whirled around her like thousands of planets around a terrible sun. Other plates rose from the shattered table and leaped from cabinets.

Then they all leaped forward like a blue-and-white wave. Bellatrix smashed the oncoming plates and Shielded herself against the smaller fragments. A few got through here and there, slashing Bellatrix's cheek and torso in places, but by and large, the evil witch weathered the storm. Several larger chunks flew in Lupin's direction, forcing him back before he could attack Bellatrix from a different angle.

Then Andromeda cast a Killing Curse into the tail-end of the kitchenware swarm. Bellatrix leaped out from behind her Shield, catching the last of the flying dinnerware in the side. The impact slammed her into the wall, cracking it.

Bellatrix rolled as she hit the floor, dodging another Killing Curse. She laughed.

"You're good," she said.

"Top Slytherin duelist in my year," Andromeda rasped.

Bellatrix laughed again.

"But I was always better."

She lashed out with her wand and Andromeda fell screaming to her knees.

That got Tonks' attention. She erupted from the broken table, hurling a Killing Curse at Bellatrix. The evil witch leaped aside and moved to hurl a Killing Curse of her own.

_Avada Kedavra!_

The power flowed down Lupin's arm once more and a jet of green light leaped for Bellatrix. The evil witch blocked the curse with a levitating chair, sending splinters flying. One of them slashed Lupin across the face, drawing blood.

_Sectumsempra!_

The spell did not require as much effort as the Killing Curse to cast and Lupin guessed Bellatrix would think he was casting the Unforgivable and try to dodge rather than block. The trick had worked last time.

Bellatrix moved. The curse meant to disembowel her instead cut a line down Bellatrix's torso from her armpit to her hip, spattering the nearby wall with blood. She hissed in pain.

"You'll pay for that, _animal_," she growled.

She raised her free hand to her mouth and blew. A jet of flame emerged, taking the form of an enormous wolf as it lunged at Lupin. Tonks and Andromeda moved to intervene, but Bellatrix drove them back with a fiery blast from her wand.

Lupin raised his free hand and the Fiendfyre froze in midair. Both of them strained at each other, trying to force the mass of cursed fire at one another. The temperature of the kitchen skyrocketed and the wallpaper began to smolder.

"Irony does not become you, Auntie," Lupin gasped, hoping to enrage the evil witch and provoke her to stupidity.

With a shriek, Bellatrix hurled the Killing Curse. Lupin threw himself out of the way, losing control of the Fiendfyre in the process. The fiery beast lunged through where Lupin had been, setting much of the wall on fire.

"Remus, put it out!" Tonks shouted. "I'll handle the bitch!"

Lupin reached out with his mind and seized the Fiendfyre.

_Your task is through. Begone!_

Slowly, the fiery animal began to shrink. Then Tonks screamed and Lupin whirled, losing control of it once again. It bounded towards Andromeda, leaving molten footprints in the floor.

Bellatrix had seized Tonks with her mind and slammed her into the wall. She then lifted her up in the air, laughing all the while.

"Time to die, you half-breed trollop," Bellatrix hissed.

_Confringo multis!_

A wave of silver arrows erupted from his wand. Bellatrix whirled, dropping Tonks, and deflected all of them. They hurtled throughout the kitchen, shattering the back door and the windows overlooking the backyard. One even destroyed Tonks' childhood swingset.

Lupin felt he was sufficiently recovered for another Killing Curse.

"Dora, the Fiendfyre!" he shouted, mindful of the fiery beast that was only barely being kept at bay by Andromeda, who probably had not been formally trained in dealing with the Dark Magic.

Tonks dragged herself forward and gestured with her wand. The evil fire tore itself away from Andromeda and lunged for Bellatrix, igniting the table and melting the linoleum beneath its charge.

Bellatrix waved her wand and the Fiendfyre vanished.

"You'll need to do better than that," she laughed.

_You talk too much. Avada Kedavra!_

Lupin hurled a Killing Curse straight at the evil woman. She neatly stepped aside and the curse slammed into the pantry door, shattering it and some bagged flour behind it. A cloud of white erupted from the devastated doorway, adding to the lunacy of the scene.

Tonks, her mother, and Lupin were all on their feet now.

"All together!" Tonks shouted.

The three fired Killing Curses at different angles. Bellatrix improbably managed to weave between them and hurled a series of curses at Tonks. The resulting explosion threw her onto her back on the floor.

Lupin lunged unthinkingly and Bellatrix blasted him aside. The blow was weaker than he expected, indicating that the evil woman was perhaps tiring out, but it was enough to knock him onto his side on the ground.

"You are a disgrace to the House of Black," she snarled at Tonks, who struggled to her feet. "Killing you will be an honor, a long-delayed cleansing…"

"You're a fine one to lecture about family values, you _monster_," Andromeda growled. "Trying to murder your niece, Cruciating your own sister…"

The evil woman laughed, turning away from her quarry for a moment.

"My sister," Bellatrix declared, "would have never married a Mudblood."

She laughed.

"I'll be sure to tell dear peasant Teddy how the three of you died when we find him and kill him."

Andromeda's wand hand trembled at the casual slurs her sister used against her husband. Bellatrix just laughed.

"Did I make ickle Andy mad?" Bellatrix said.

Andromeda's wand snapped up. A jet of green light flashed. Bellatrix's eyes widened for a moment just before the Killing Curse struck her in the face, the force of its impact snapping her neck. Bellatrix's corpse crashed to the ground.

_Holy Merlin_, Lupin thought. _She just killed her own sister!_

Andromeda just stood there for a long moment, looking down her wand at Bellatrix's corpse. Then her hand began shaking once again. The trembling grew more intense and her breathing harder. She finally broke and rushed over to her sister's corpse, burying her face in Bellatrix's chest.

"Bella," she wailed, tears streaming down her face. "Bella!"

Tonks knelt by her mother and took her in her arms. Soon she was crying too.

Lupin soon found himself blinking back tears. This was not something he had expected. Bellatrix had the blood of his and Tonks' son on her hands, much more of it than the prejudiced Healers he'd cut down. Bellatrix had taken the lead in destroying the Longbottoms' minds, she'd killed Padfoot, she'd tortured Hermione, and Merlin knew what other horrors she'd committed in service of the Dark Lord. He _should_ hate her and rejoice in her demise.

But Andromeda had lost her big sister that day. Though it was hard for Lupin to grasp, perhaps the woman he'd always known as a fanatical, vicious Death Eater was something else, once. After all, she had devoted herself to killing Tonks, but never went out of her way to attack Andromeda.

He shook his head.

_When Voldemort finds out Bellatrix is dead, he'll be after all of us. Working together, we beat Bellatrix, but we wouldn't be able to face him or the regiment of Death Eaters he'll no doubt send after us._

He grit his teeth. It was, in his opinion, too early to unleash the coup, but the longer he waited, the more likely Voldemort would find out about what happened to his favored lieutenant. Then there would be hell to pay, not only for himself, Tonks, and Andromeda, but possibly for the werewolves as well.

He sighed.

"Dora," he began. "Dora, it's time. Stay here with your mother. I'll send you a Patronus when it's done."

Tonks looked up at him, dark eyes wide.

"Remus," she said. "Remus, let me come with you. I can help you…"

Lupin shook his head.

"You're hurt, worse than I am. And if you're there, they'll think this is the Order's doing and tear both of us apart."

Tonks altered her features to resemble Lupin's own.

"They won't think I'm with you," she said. "I can disguise myself as some random Muggle…"

"No," Lupin interrupted. "Many of them know about your talent. If there's any stranger in the colony, they'll think it's you and then we're back to where we started."

Tonks rose to her feet, her hair turning red.

"I'm not going to let you do this alone," she said.

"Stay here with your mother!" Lupin half-shouted, gesturing towards Andromeda, who still wept over her sister's body. "If you don't hear from me within three hours, both of you go to ground. Leave the country. Hide."

Tonks stepped back, shocked at her husband's outburst. This cut to Lupin's heart—it might take that to get her attention, but she was rather sensitive and it hurt her. Impulsively, he stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "This _will_ work and then your talents will be needed more than ever."

He felt Tonks nod, felt what must've been tears on his shoulder.

"Al…all right," she said, stepping back.

Then her expression hardened.

"You'd better come back," she said. "You understand?"

Lupin nodded. Then he turned and walked out of the Tonks' ruined house.

He had an important appointment at the werewolf colony.


	56. Killing the Wolf Lord

**Killing the Wolf Lord**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **This chapter is dedicated to Col. Klaus von Stauffenberg. Though you weren't always on the side of the angels, better late than never and your plan would have worked if it weren't for an ill-placed table-leg. And in this story, Operation Valkyrie will live again…

May 2nd, 1998 AD

7:47 PM

Remus Lupin materialized at the edge of the free-fire zone surrounding the werewolf colony. He immediately cast a Patronus meant for the other members of the conspiracy.

_It's time. Where is he?_

The blue-silver unicorn leaped out of his wand and bounded a few feet before more Patronuses budded off it. The magical animals raced into the colony, seeking out everyone who'd sworn to follow Lupin.

Lupin frowned as he watched the guards moving about on the rooftop. Seeing Lupin communicating with many within the colony just prior to an assassination attempt on Greyback would be a dead giveaway.

_Let's hope we can get this done quickly, before anyone puts two and two together._

Lupin crossed the open space rapidly. He was ascending the steps into the colony when the first reply Patronus arrived. It was Lykos's, a blue-silver sparrow.

"He's inspecting a Snatcher squad that just returned from a raid," the Patronus said. "None of our people are on it. They're at the far end of the train tracks, well away from his office."

Lupin cast another Patronus.

_Distract him. I'll plant the bomb._

Lupin snatched up a leaf that had been tracked in and Transfigured it into a Portkey. He seized it with his free hand and felt the unpleasant feeling of a hook jamming into his navel. The supernatural hook dragged him to his grotto. He immediately cast a charm obscuring the interior of the grotto from outside observers.

_All right. Where's that shoebox?_

Like his wife, Lupin intended to house his killing flames in a warded shoebox prior to unleashing them. It was fitting that way.

He reached under the bed and pulled the shoebox out. He opened it and pointed his wand at the interior. A trickle of flame slithered out of his wand and coiled in the box like a snake. It grew larger and larger, then stopped abruptly as Lupin pulled his wand away. The Dark Magic shimmered alluringly, like light reflected from the scales of a serpent. Lupin allowed himself to gaze at it for a few seconds before putting the lid on the shoebox and taping it down for good measure.

_It's not even warm. Good._

Lupin picked up a pamphlet of pro-Voldemort propaganda he had kept around for reasons unknown. He cast the appropriate spells, making it a Portkey to Greyback's office.

He drew a breath. He had made sure that the evil werewolf did not have any kind of proximity alarms or jinxes that would identify who had been there, but one could never be too paranoid.

He grit his teeth. It was time to begin.

May 2nd, 1998 AD

7:50 PM

The supernatural hook pulled Lupin into the anteroom of Greyback's office. He could leave the box there, but he wanted it to spread quickly, so quickly the senior werewolf could not control it. That meant putting it under his desk.

He stepped forward and tried the door. It was locked. He smiled at the elementary security measure.

_Alohomora._

The door popped open. Lupin stepped inside. Then he cast another Patronus. Though he worried about being overheard, he also worried about being caught in the office unawares.

_In his office. Where is he?_

He set the box on the ground beneath Greyback's chair and Disillusioned it for good measure. Then he turned back towards the door, ready to leave.

A sparrow Patronus emerged from the door.

_I was only able to buy you a couple of minutes. He's on his way back. He should be there any minute._

Lupin frowned.

_Bugger._

He took the pamphlet and made it a Portkey into the loo attached to the anteroom. That would keep him out of the way, but close enough to trigger the Fiendfyre.

When he materialized in the loo, nobody was there. He exhaled in relief. That could have been rather awkward.

Through the closed door, he could the door to the anteroom open and Greyback's characteristic heavy tread. Then the bathroom door opened.

"Oh," Fenrir Greyback said. "Didn't expect you here."

Lupin swallowed.

"No problem, sir."

He put on a big, phony smile.

"Just finishing up."

Greyback laughed, then closed the door. Lupin waited for a moment until he heard the door to Greyback's office open and close.

He stepped into the anteroom. Faintly, just barely, he heard the ponderous sound of Greyback sitting his big chair.

Lupin smiled. All the time he'd been pretending to be Greyback's loyal minion, all the atrocities he'd committed against Muggleborns to maintain his cover — that was now over.

He began mouthing the incantations to deactivate the wards keeping the Fiendfyre contained. Suddenly, he hesitated. It would have been easy to kill Greyback once, on the battlefield. But something was stopping him now. The senior werewolf had honored him, had (eventually) accepted his wife. This was better than wizarding society as whole, as exemplified by the Healers.

He frowned. The senior werewolf had also made him into a monster in the first place, had forced him to commit atrocities. The bastard had even threatened Tonks on at least two occasions.

Anger rose from deep within his soul, anger he generally kept suppressed.

_No mercy. Not this time._

He quickly said the incantations, brushing away the last of his inhibitions. Then he jinxed the door shut. The evil werewolf would not be getting away.

Greyback roared within his office, first in surprise and then in pain. Though several feet and a door separated him from the Fiendfyre, a faint heat caressed Lupin's face.

The door handle rattled.

"What the hell?" Greyback roared, voice alight with agony. Lupin could smell the senior werewolf burning now, something that smelled disturbingly like cooked pork. He recalled reading somewhere that human flesh was called "long pig." The irony brought a smile to his face.

Something slammed into the door. The wood cracked, but the door stayed closed. Greyback screamed in pain and frustration. The sound of someone else in agony — never mind that this person was an enemy — twisted Lupin's soul. Part of him wanted to take the wards off the door and rescue Greyback, hoping that a close brush with his own mortality would lead him to see reason.

But the other part of him, the wolf, disagreed. Lupin felt it quite ironic that the part of him Greyback forced on him kept his moral side in check long enough for Greyback to roast.

Greyback struck the door once again, but more weakly. Then a long moment where nothing happened. Lupin removed the jinx from the door. He looked down at his clothes, scorched and torn from the battle with Bellatrix.

_This'll make it look like I heard his screams and was first to respond._

Through the anteroom door, he heard running feet. Greyback must've screamed pretty loudly to summon help. He might have even sent out a Patronus in his last agonies.

Lupin felt a lump in his throat. If Greyback had realized who had probably laid the trap and included that in his Patronus, he could easily take Lupin down from beyond the grave.

He rushed forward and tore the door open. Living fire erupted out, taking the form of running animals. The fringes of Lupin's robes ignited as he forced the fires back into the office. Amidst the fiery holocaust, a thickly-built, burnt corpse could be seen. It did not move.

Lupin repressed the urge to smile. The first part of his plan was definitely accomplished.

The Fiendfyre did not want to go quietly. It had already consumed Greyback's desk, most of Greyback's corpse, and other flammable items in his office. It had grown large and greedy and attempted to force its way out of the office.

The door into the anteroom slammed open. Several werewolves rushed in behind him.

"Help me!" Lupin grated. "Otherwise it'll get out and destroy the colony!"

That was a slight exaggeration, given how many of the werewolves now knew how to wield Fiendfyre. However, the more Fiendfyre consumed, the stronger it got. Even Voldemort rarely used it.

Other werewolves stepped in beside Lupin. Slowly, they forced the terrible fire back into Greyback's office, to the place where it had emerged. It shrunk into a burning sphere where Greyback's chair had been, then vanished abruptly. Luckily the shoebox had long since been incinerated, so nobody asked awkward questions.

Lupin turned to the ones who had helped him force the Fiendfyre back. One of them —Cedric Rawlings — was part of Lupin's conspirators. Three others were not.

"What do you think happened?" one of them asked.

Lupin nodded to Rawlings, who stepped into the ashen office and lifted what was left of Greyback off the ground. Melted fat dripped from the corpse onto Rawlings' feet, something that reminded Lupin of draining newly-cooked bacon.

He pushed that morbid image aside. "Bring him out," he ordered.

Outside, more werewolves were gathering. Now came the tricky part — convincing them that Voldemort had done the deed and not Lupin himself.

He cast another Patronus, this one intended for Lykos.

_Bring the Pensieve._


	57. Lupin Ascendant

**Lupin Ascendant**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Credit belongs to the French Dark Lord for suggesting the many uses of a Pensieve memory. The opening of Greyback's plan is adapted from the actual text of Operation Valkyrie, which can be found on Wikipedia.

May 2nd, 1998 AD

7:52 PM

_There aren't as many as I expected_, Remus Lupin thought as the werewolves gathered around him_. Something has gone wrong._

Now would be a very bad time for things to go wrong. To his left stood his co-conspirator Cedric Rawlings and at their feet lay the blackened, still-smoldering corpse of Fenrir Greyback. Lupin's chief co-conspirator, Connor Lykos, was out in the crowd somewhere, and he did not know where the others were. If it came to a fight, the ones who joined him in the plot against Greyback would die.

He inhaled. Now was the time to be decisive and not weak. Weakness could kill him.

"Brothers and sisters of the colony," Lupin began, doing his absolute best to appear solemn and grief-stricken. "As you can see, a great tragedy has befallen us. Fenrir Greyback is dead."

Dark mutterings echoed through the crowd. Many of the voices blamed the Order, but a surprising number blamed the Death Eaters. Lupin repressed the urge to smile.

_This might be easier than I thought._

"Fenrir Greyback is dead," Lupin repeated. "And I know who killed him."

"Who?" a voice called out of the crowd. "Was it one of your friends from the Order?"

Lupin repressed the urge to swallow nervously.

"No," he said.

"Then who did it?" another voice demanded.

Lupin opened his mouth to answer, but was saved from potentially inflaming the crowd by the arrival of Lykos, who carried his Pensieve.

"It was the Dark Lord and his supporters," Lupin said. "And I have evidence."

He raised his wand to his temple. Then stopped abruptly, remembering something a bit more decisive than the memory he had.

_Daniel, bring me the plans for Operation Full Moon. Expecto Patronum!_

The blue-silver unicorn bounded away, the crowd parting before it.

"Watch," he said. "I'll show you."

He pressed the wand to his temple and pulled out the memory, the memory from the terrible night he had committed a murder while wearing the skull-mask and black robes of a Death Eater. He placed the memory in the bowl.

"There isn't time to show everyone individually," Lupin said, keeping an eye out for the pro-Voldemort werewolves he intended to scapegoat. "I'll show you all now."

He gestured with his wand, casting the spell he used to show his students the images of Frank and Alice Longbottom. This time, the image of the masked Death Eater he'd spoken to after the raid materialized above the Pensieve, big enough for the crowd to see.

"Lupin, I'd like to talk to you," the man said. Lupin and the crowd watched as the man led Lupin away from the group, watched his initial flatteries. Then came the damning words.

"And here's the best part, for you," the man continued. "When we don't need that savage Greyback and his peons anymore, the Mark will protect you. The Dark Lord rewards his helpers, and he looks after his own."

Angry muttering raced through the crowd. Lupin repressed the urge to smile. It was working.

Someone shouted from within the crowd. It was Joseph Marshall and Tabitha Alexander, two werewolves who genuinely supported the Dark Lord. Two werewolves whom Lupin intended to scapegoat. They pushed their way to the front of the crowd, heading straight for Lupin.

"Well, if it isn't Joseph and Tabitha," Lupin said. "Just the people I was looking to speak to."

Tabitha froze, while Marshall narrowed his eyes. He opened his mouth. Lupin jabbed with his wand.

_Silencio!_

He had no intention of letting the man interfere, now that he had the crowd (tentatively) in his power.

"It's well-known that these two support the Dark Lord, not just as a means to our liberation but in their hearts." He looked at them, raising an eyebrow. "It is possible they forgot their first love, Fenrir Greyback."

"We…we heard what happened," Tabitha said. "Greyback was killed with Fiendfyre."

She glared at him.

"This was something _you_ taught us."

Lupin realized his error. He should have Silenced both of them.

"Something I taught you, but something _you_ used," Lupin retorted. "Your master ordered you to kill Greyback, but you didn't want to die too, did you? Instead, you cast Fiendfyre, something that could put the whole colony at risk."

The crowd grew angry. Both the evil werewolves drew their wands. Beside him, Cedric drew his own wand.

"And then you came running when you heard he was dead, to see the results of your handiwork."

Lupin gestured to his burnt, ragged clothes.

"Only to find you hadn't gotten everyone you were assigned to!"

Daniel Gray became forward, bearing a sheaf of documents.

"Greyback knew there was a plot against him," Lupin continued. "But he didn't know who was involved. He was smart; he knew that purges would be counterproductive. But he wanted to make sure his death did not go unavenged. He gave me these plans."

Gray handed him the sheaf. Lupin took the opening page and began reading it.

"If you are reading this, then I, Fenrir Greyback, am now dead!"

The crowd's mutterings grew louder. Lupin kept reading.

"The Dark Lord, clearly believing me a threat to his schemes, has ordered my death. Several of my lieutenants, in particular Remus Lupin, may have been killed as well."

The next words brought a feral grin — not entirely false — to Lupin's face.

"In this hour of great danger to the pack, I transfer all my authority to the seniormost surviving lieutenant, and charge him to avenge my death. Though the Death Eaters outnumber us, they will not expect our attack, and if we act quickly and decisively, we will be able to destroy them in detail before they realize what is going on."

Lupin put the paper back into its sheaf.

"The Dark Lord has broken faith with us!" he shouted. "Let us now break faith with him!"

The crowd roared and turned on Lupin's two scapegoats. They swarmed around them and they vanished from sight. Blood flew on the air.

Lupin smiled. He'd won. Now all he had to do was order the werewolves into battle…

Then Marshall erupted from the crowd, bleeding from many wounds and with a wand in his hand.

_Avada Kedavra_, he mouthed, jabbing his wand at Lupin. The jet of green light flashed.

Something slammed into Lupin as the Killing Curse flew his way. Lupin stumbled and nearly fell over, then turned to see just what had happened.

Lykos lay spread out on his back, eyes glassy and dead. Lupin's eyes bulged.

_Connor!_

He knew better than to rush over to him. The Killing Curse had only failed once in wizarding history, against Harry Potter.

Lupin looked back towards the assembled crowd, murder in his eyes. Marshall was gone, probably dragged back into the crowd.

"Shit!" Rawlings said. "The bastard got Connor!"

Now that he had time to process it, tears sprang to Lupin's eyes. Lykos had been his first friend in the colony, his first conspirator. He'd lived to see Greyback fall, but not long enough to see the next phase in the plan, the plan that would destroy the Dark Lord but also guarantee the werewolves a seat amongst the victors.

Lupin blinked the tears back.

_Mourn the dead later. Now is the time for revenge._

Ahead of him, the crowd quieted. He figured they'd killed off his two scapegoats.

One werewolf, a young man with strawberry blond hair, stepped forward.

"You're the seniormost…" he began before he saw Lykos' body. His voice trailed away.

_Got to use this._

"Marshall got a shot off. He was intending to kill me, to finish the task the Dark Lord gave him. Connor threw me out of the way."

Lupin swallowed.

"He would not want us to sit here as time ticked by. Our only hope to beat the Death Eaters is by surprise."

The young man found his voice again.

"Wha…what are your orders?"


	58. The Downfall Begins

**The Downfall Begins**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **Kudos to whomever can guess where the "if it fails" exchange comes from.

May 2nd, 1998 AD

7:55 PM

"Firstly," Remus Lupin began. "There are a lot fewer of us here. Did something happen while I was away from the colony?"

A young woman — Lupin recognized her as the woman he had trained who lost her baby during a transformation — stepped out of the crowd.

"A messenger arrived from the Dark Lord. Greyback gathered ten full Snatcher units and sent them out of the colony."

"Do you know where he sent them?"

She shook her head.

_Damnation._

"All right," Lupin called out. "That's ten Snatcher units. There are ten more."

He flipped through the papers Greyback had entrusted him with, looking for the set of orders intended for each Snatcher squad. The first order was for every Snatcher squad to report its position to the surviving colony leadership. Then the new orders, the orders to kill Death Eaters, could be given out.

"Second squad reporting for duty," a rough-looking man said, four more trailing behind him. "We're reading to kick some Death Eater arse."

Lupin continued reading. The plan would then mobilize the entire fighting-age population of the colony, section by section, to reinforce the Snatcher squads. If surprise did not suffice, it was hoped numbers would.

"I'll handle the Snatchers," Lupin said. "You two, mobilize the rest of the colony."

Daniel Gray and Cedric Rawlings nodded.

Lupin looked out at the crowd.

"And someone please move Connor's body," he said, allowing emotion to creep into his voice.

Lupin turned and headed into Greyback's office. He needed to be alone and he could handle the Snatchers from here. He drew his wand.

_Fenrir Greyback has been killed by Joseph Marshall and Tabitha Alexander, operating on the orders of the Dark Lord. Operation Full Moon is now in effect. Authentication Alpha Wolf. Report your positions to me and await orders. Expecto Patronum!_

The unicorn bounded away. Lupin sank down into the anteroom chair where the smell of smoke and burned flesh wasn't so oppressive and waited.

It did not take long for the Snatcher squads elsewhere in Britain to report in via Patronus. Well, the nine of the ones operating independently outside the colony. The remaining ten, the ones who'd left en masse just before Greyback died, were still incommunicado.

_If I can't bring them into line, this could be a real problem._

Still, he had command of half the werewolf army, command he intended to use. He began issuing the orders to each individual squad that reported in. In five minutes, all the Snatchers and their civilian reinforcements were to mount simultaneous attacks on Death Eater targets all across Britain.

Three Snatcher squads were to secure Azkaban and recruit the healthiest of the prisoners there to fight. Two squads were to secure Gringotts, counting on the goblins' dislike for the increasingly-interfering Death Eaters. Two squads were to secure Knockturn Alley specifically; two more were to secure Diagon Alley as a whole. Two more squads were to seize St. Mungo's. Any Death Eaters who resisted were to be killed; taking prisoners, however, was acceptable.

_After all, we do need bargaining chips._

The Ministry would be a hard target, deep underground and easily fortifiable. He did not want to take that without the full army. Perhaps seizing the other targets in Wizarding London would draw the enemies from the Ministry, where they could be destroyed with Fiendfyre in the open.

He then cast another set of Patronuses to his co-conspirators, who were assuming command of the civilian werewolves. When the attack came, dozens of civilian werewolves would assist the Snatchers at every target.

The problem of the remaining ten Snatcher squads, who had not reported back at all, troubled Lupin. Still, he had to make sure the werewolves already under his control were doing what they were supposed to. Once that was dealt with, he could handle the others.

_Dora, it's done. Greyback is dead and I'm in control. We'll attack the bastards soon. Tell Kingsley that the werewolves are going to war, with or without Order assistance. Expecto Patronum!_

Once the last Patronus was sent, Lupin pondered which of the Snatcher squads he should command. The two areas he figured he would be needed the most were either Azkaban or Diagon Alley. The former due to the presence of large numbers of Dementors; the latter due to the possibility the werewolves might take advantage of their triumph to loot and rape.

He settled on Diagon Alley. Thanks to Greyback — and Lupin's own response to the prejudiced Healers in Inverness — the pack had a public-relations problem. If the werewolves pillaged the economic heart of Wizarding London, that would make things even worse.

He made a piece of debris from Greyback's office into a Portkey and the supernatural hook took him away.

May 2nd, 1998 AD

7:59 PM

Lupin materialized in the main street of Diagon Alley. The place was a dark and dreary shadow of its former self. In a nearby alleyway, Lupin spotted two ragged-looking men. He suspected they were Muggleborn, deprived of their wands and reduced to begging for a living.

A dark smile crossed Lupin's face. He'd have wands for them, soon enough.

Two members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement emerged from the gloom and headed straight for him.

"State your business," one of them said, in an entirely too imperious manner.

Lupin forced himself to be polite.

"My name is Remus John Lupin and I am the commander of Britain's werewolves," he said, showing entirely too many teeth as he smiled.

"Thought it was Greyback who was in charge," the second one said. "Something change?"

"You could say that," Lupin said.

Then his wand snapped up and both DMLE men were on the ground, bound with magical ropes. Lupin knelt and took both of their wands, then whistled at the ragged men in the alley.

"You Muggleborn?"

One of them slowly nodded, almost as though he was ashamed. The other seemed to retain some of his spirit.

"Aye."

Lupin smiled.

"You want to help me kill some Death Eaters?"

Lupin's question seemed to animate both men. He stepped forward and tossed both of them the DMLE men's wands. Both men snatched them up eagerly.

"Remember," Lupin said. "It was a werewolf who helped you out."

Both men gaped, but didn't have time to gape for long. A series of thunderclaps echoed behind Lupin as five Snatchers materialized where Lupin had been, followed soon afterward by a dozen less-trained werewolves.

The two Muggleborns backed away, raising their wands. The Snatchers did the same.

"Stop it!" Lupin shouted, grabbing all of their attention. "Greyback has fallen and the Dark Lord is now our enemy. We're on the same side now."

He pointed towards more DMLE men, with black-robed Death Eaters interspersed among them, who were approaching from within Diagon Alley.

"Remember," Lupin ordered, loud enough for the werewolves to hear but hopefully not loud enough for the enemy. "DMLE are to be taken alive if possible; Death Eaters are to be killed unless they surrender."

He melted back into the werewolf formation and, with some hesitation, the two Muggleborns did as well. The two bound DMLE men lay between the two hosts.

"What brings you here?" a Death Eater who stepped to the head of the group said. Lupin imagined him wrinkling his nose beneath his skull-mask. "What business do the werewolves have in Diagon Alley?"

Lupin's reply was a Killing Curse aimed straight at the man's chest. His curse had only flown a foot before a wave of curses erupted from within the werewolf host. DMLE men fell bound or Stunned; Death Eaters fell dead. The enemy's hesitation had cost them —their numbers had been cut by two-thirds at a stroke.

Hurling curses of their own, the remaining enemy advanced. Death Eater and DMLE alike used Killing Curses and werewolves fell dead.

Lupin Stunned two DMLE men and cut a Death Eater's throat with Sectumsempra. Two werewolves unleashed volleys of Blasting Curses, literally ripping two Death Eaters to pieces. One DMLE men fell to a Killing Curse; Lupin did not see who cast it.

_When we're done, it'll be time for a lecture about following orders. Greyback taught them they would be able to do whatever they wanted when the time came._

The last Death Eaters had fallen and the DMLE decided discretion was the better part of valor. They broke and ran.

"Incapacitate them!" Lupin shouted. "Keep them alive! We need hostages!"

_In case the Order is less reasonable than I hope they are._

A wave of Stunners erupted from the werewolf host, knocking out the majority of fleeing Law Enforcement personnel.

Lupin led the werewolves forward, casting charms to see if anyone was hiding. Most of the people he detected were ordinary folk going barricading their doors against the growing chaos in the streets, but he found one building — a pub, based on the interior layout — where two Death Eaters who hadn't joined the fun were hiding.

He gestured with his head towards the door. Two werewolves obviously eager to prove their worth stepped forward and raised their wands. A stream of Blasting Curses shattered the door and the two charged, many others close behind.

Lupin hurried along. He wanted to make sure nobody caused any problems for the unfortunates whose shop the Death Eaters occupied. Other werewolves streamed behind Lupin, heading deeper into Diagon Alley.

_Hopefully the enemy made the mistake of forward-deploying the bulk of their troops. If that was the case, we shouldn't face too much more resistance._

Then a jet of green light flashed and the corpse of one of the werewolves who'd led the charge slammed into Lupin. He barely kept his feet when green light flashed again and the offending Death Eater pitched forward.

Red light flashed and blood painted the walls as a werewolf used Sectumsempra. Another Death Eater fell forward and a second slash literally decapitated him.

Two werewolves had burst past the last Death Eater and into what looked like the pub's kitchen. One of them immediately seized a bottle of wine and tore the cork free, while another one seized a cowering waitress and began tearing at her clothes.

Lupin grit his teeth. He had to put a stop to this quickly, lest discipline break down entirely.

_Crucio!_

Both werewolves pitched forward screaming, abandoning their quarries for a moment. The wine bottle fell to the ground and exploded. Lupin stepped between the woman and her attacker and cut off the pain. Both werewolves glared at him.

"We're fighting so the wizards acknowledge us as human!" Lupin snapped at them. "Act like this and they won't!"

Both of them looked up at him with anger in their eyes.

"Greyback said…"

This put Lupin in a delicate spot. If he openly contradicted his predecessor, it might give the other werewolves ideas.

"Greyback anticipated that we'd fight the Death Eaters only after the Order of the Phoenix had been destroyed. The Order is still out there and us acting like animals will only make them stronger."

That was something the werewolves could understand. Still, he couldn't take the chance. He immediate Stunned both of them, then bound them for good measure.

"Take them outside and leave them with the other prisoners," Lupin ordered two more werewolves, who'd probably heard the screaming. "There'll be no hooliganry on my watch."

The two other werewolves nodded and gestured with their wands. The two offenders rose in the air and floated out the door.

Lupin turned to the waitress.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Yo…you're werewolves?" she asked.

Lupin nodded. She stepped away from him, although there really wasn't anywhere she could run.

"Just remember, we're not all like those two," Lupin said.

Then he turned and headed out of the pub into the street. Once he was outside, he prepared to cast a Patronus to Daniel Gray, who he recalled was in charge of the section of werewolf civilians assigned to Diagon Alley.

_Is anyone causing trouble? Anyone trying to loot and rape? If so, you're authorized to use anything up to the Cruciatus to put a stop to it. Expecto Patronum!_

He figured the Slytherin wouldn't have any problems with doing that.

A minute or so later, Gray's shark Patronus swam through the air toward him.

"There's been a little. Already restored order."

Lupin nodded before sending Patronuses to the other Snatcher and section commanders asking them the same question and giving them same orders. The responses he got back indicated that there had been a few problems, but all of them had been dealt with.

Lupin smiled. Obviously his underlings figured there was a new sheriff in town and he wouldn't put up with the same kinds of atrocities Greyback would allow.

He decided to head for Knockturn Alley. He'd gotten no word of resistance there, but if there was any place the forces of evil would make there stand, it would probably be there.

Halfway there, another Patronus arrived. It was a porcupine and he immediately recognized it as Taylor White's.

"This Patronus is coming from Azkaban prison. We managed to get inside the fortress itself, but they're pushing us back. We can't hold against the Dementors. Three have gotten Kissed already…"

_Damn it._

Lupin began composing another Patronus to Gray.

_Secure every defensible point. Come down on any hooliganry like Merlin himself. Arm any of the wandless you can. Expecto Patronum!_

He then whistled at two werewolves who looked like they weren't doing anything.

"Come with me to Azkaban. They need reinforcements."

The two nodded. Lupin Disapparated.

May 2nd, 1998 AD

8:30 PM

Lupin materialized in the courtyard of Azkaban, beneath the intimidating sole entrance to the notorious wizarding prison. It would be entirely fitting if there was a sign reading "Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here" above the door.

Two corpses wearing the black uniforms of the prison's (human) guards lay in the courtyard. The doors had been broken open. Several werewolves who'd probably been left on guard duty milled about. They did not challenge Lupin's arrival and he made a note to deal with this careless as well. There were more immediate concerns — the cracking of curses reached out to Lupin's ears from within the cavernous doorway.

CRACK! CRACK!

The two other werewolves materialized behind Lupin.

"In we go," he ordered.

The three of them passed through the doors and headed for the sounds of battle. As they descended deeper into the fortress, dark thoughts rose to dog Lupin's mind. He remembered the growing distance between himself and Padfoot in the weeks leading up to the Potters' deaths, a distance he knew now was the result of suspicion that Lupin had turned traitor.

_It's the Dementors._

He grabbed desperately for happy thoughts, the fun times he'd had with the other three Marauders before the war darkened everything, his honeymoon with Dora. Those thoughts slipped through his fingers.

He steeled himself. He'd need those happy thoughts if he had to create another Patronus.

The three of them ran into a milling group of werewolves who were retreating back towards the entrance. White was among them.

"Guards and Dementors both," White said. "We made it to the cellblocks and broke open a couple of cells, but then they mobbed us. Five dead and five more Kissed."

Lupin frowned. He looked down the hall, saw distant, hooded forms. His thoughts grew darker and he found even the image of Dora slipping away from him.

_Here they come._

He summoned a happy thought — his and Dora's Valentine's Day picnic, both the food and the fun afterward.

_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_

His Patronus erupted from his wand charged down the hall. It collided with the first Dementor and gored it, driving it back into its fellows and to the guards who followed behind. They reeled, the evil presence of the Dementors burrowing into their brains.

Lupin Stunned all of them, then cast another Patronus. The others werewolves, their confidence back, cast Patronuses of their own.

The werewolves made their way back down the hall, driving the Dementors before them. The presence of the creatures incapacitated all but the strongest guards, who fell in brief duels. As they advanced, they walked over corpses, both those truly dead and those that had been Kissed. Though they still breathed, nobody lived inside their heads anymore.

The number of casualties the werewolves had taken made Lupin wince. But now he'd turned the tide.

The werewolves burst out into a huge cavernous room, the cellblocks carved into the walls. They fanned out over the metal walkways, casting Patronuses and forcing the Dementors back.

In one walkway, the remaining guards made a stand. Curses flashed and both guards and werewolves fell from the high place. Lupin winced as some of them landed on their heads. He cast a Cushioning Charm and leaped from the walkway onto the stone floor below, the spell preventing injury.

He knelt by the fallen men. Two of them were dead with broken necks, but four more were still alive. He immediately cast healing charms, which should fix any closed-head injuries before they got too serious.

No more guards or werewolves fell. Lupin looked up and saw the werewolves blasting their way into the cellblocks. He smiled.

_Looks like this situation is well in hand._

Lupin saw a nearby cellblock, raised his wand, and began his personal part of the liberation of Azkaban. As he tore open cells and pulled the prisoners out, concern nibbled at the base of his brain. Neither Diagon Alley nor Azkaban were as well defended as he expected. Part of him rejoiced that this was less difficult than he thought, but another part of him worried. Where were the enemies?

Within half an hour, all the prisoners were freed. Many of the prisoners were catatonic and had to be carried out of their cells, but others recovered after a few minutes of being kept away from the Dementors. Lupin oversaw the distribution of the guards' wands and the use of Patronuses to contain the Dementors in one of the far corners of the prison.

_The two hardest targets are well in hand. Now it's time to figure out what happened to the other half of the army._

He turned and strode back up to the entrance, Disapparating as soon as he could.

May 2nd, 1998 AD

9:30 PM

Lupin materialized outside of the colony, picked up a random rock, and Portkeyed back into Greyback's office. Now that he was sure that all of the ten Snatcher squads that had accepted him as the new leader were doing what they needed to, he had to deal with the ten squads who he had not been able to find.

He Summoned the nearest set of orders for Operation Full Moon. That would contain the full list of squads and the orders and authentication codes for each one. He could then send the signals out again and hope that they responded. Ten squads meant roughly 50 werewolves, a considerable force.

The sheaf of documents flew in through the door and landed in his lap. Barely five seconds passed before an all-too-familiar Patronus arrived.

A doe.

Lupin's heart leaped into his throat.

_A doe? Lily's Patronus?_

Lily Evans Potter, his best friend's wife, had died trying to protect her son from the Dark Lord 17 years before. Although Dumbledore had compared Harry to Lily, his Patronus had taken after his father. And there weren't any members of Lily's family that were magical, to Lupin's knowledge.

Then the Patronus spoke. In Severus Snape's voice.

"Lupin," the Potions Master's voice said in its usual baritone. "Something tells me you weren't expecting this."

"Y…you're bloody right," Lupin said, finally finding his voice. The Patronus kept talking, oblivious.

"I know you're not a true servant of the Dark Lord and neither am I, not for the last eighteen years. Dumbledore thought I was of more use in the enemy camp than fighting alongside the rest of the Order. To answer the _obvious_ question, I killed him on his orders, as part of his master plan."

The Patronus paused.

"There's been a rebellion in Hogwarts, led by Harry Potter himself."

_Harry!_

"I've been driven out of the castle. The Dark Lord has arrived and will take the field in person if the first wave is repulsed. Now or never, Lupin."

The Patronus winked out.

The shock of this revelation nearly floored Lupin. Snape, the greasy git who murdered Dumbledore, had a Patronus that matched Lily's? And was claiming that now was the time to attack?

He shook his head. Dumbledore had trusted Snape and Snape murdered him. This could all be another trick.

However, only extreme emotion could change the shape of a Patronus, not trickery. Snape's Patronus matched Lily's, much like how Tonks' Patronus reflected Lupin himself.

_They came to Hogwarts together and were friends for years, until the greasy git started hanging out with Avery and Mulciber and called her "Mudblood." Could he have felt more for her? James always thought so._

Lupin shifted his mind to more immediate concerns. If there had been a rebellion at Hogwarts, that would explain why Voldemort had called half of the pack away suddenly and why resistance to the coup was so spotty.

His pondering received a most unwelcome interruption.

"Not a true servant of the Dark Lord," a werewolf Lupin recognized as one of the men who guarded the door during his early visits to the colony, before Bill and Fleur's wedding, said. The man approached Lupin, trailed by three other werewolves. All of them had their wands out.

_Bugger._

He remembered how a similar plot against a Muggle tyrant during their Second World War had failed. The orders had gone out and many of the tyrant's chief servants had been detained, until it was revealed the evil man still lived.

He could probably defeat the four werewolves who challenged him, but if the whole colony realized what happened, he was a dead man.

"You said you were burned trying to save Greyback," another man, one Lupin recognized from the crowd that killed the two scapegoats, said. "But Eddie here, he said you came into the colony already burned."

"Within five minutes, Greyback's dead," another man said. "A right coincidence, isn't it?"

"It is, isn't it?" Lupin asked, putting on his best poker face. If they saw the Patronus — and at least one of them had — they would know something was up.

Of course, it was their word against his, and he could always scapegoat them as being part of the Dark Lord's plot.

He shook his head. There'd been enough werewolf deaths already. It was time to be honest.

"We don't think it was a coincidence," another werewolf, this one a woman, said. "We think you did it."

"We don't want to believe that," the door guard said. "You always gave us food, seemed like a right good chap."

"Did you do it?" the third man said, raising his wand.

Lupin immediately Disarmed the man. He then Disarmed two more before they had time to raise their wands. The last werewolf — the woman — cast Incarcerous at him, but Lupin was able to step aside and Disarm her too. He covered them all with his wand.

"Yes," he said. "I did it."

The four werewolves tensed. For a moment, Lupin wondered if they intended to charge him unarmed, counting on speed and numbers to bring him down.

"That Patronus was from Severus Snape, the Dark Lord's puppet headmaster at Hogwarts. There's been a rebellion and they've thrown him out. The house of cards is about to crumble and I want the werewolves on the winning side."

"What?" the woman said. "You'd send us into battle alongside the Order? Alongside the ones who hunted werewolves?"

"Your little pink-haired Auror put you up to this, didn't she?" one of the men demanded.

"Alongside the ones who defend the government that did nothing to stop the Healers from letting my son die?" Lupin asked, momentarily ignoring the man who had mentioned Tonks. "Tell me, are you aware of the difference between a co-belligerent and an ally?"

"Is there a difference?" the door guard demanded.

"The difference is," Lupin said, "that we won't turn over the places we've seized —Diagon Alley is under our control now and Azkaban is going to fall soon — until our demands are met."

That got their attention.

"And what are our demands?" the other man asked, more respectfully this time.

This took Lupin aback. He'd put so much effort into planning the takeover that he'd never actually thought this out.

"Well," Lupin said. "If we're in control of the Ministry and other important places, with Fiendfyre ready to level them, we can demand pretty much anything we want."

He thought for a moment.

"The abolition of all anti-werewolf laws passed by Dolores Umbridge, for starters," he said. "In fact, in addition to the abolitions of laws against us, I propose laws that benefit us too."

After all, it had been impossible for him to find regular employment prior to Dumbledore hiring him as Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. There were no laws in place then; it was the prejudice of the general public.

_The general public that had no problem with my son dying._

For starters, there could be laws forbidding employers from discriminating on the grounds of "magical creature status," laws that would incidentally benefit the centaurs, vampires, and others as well.

He made a note to send a Patronus to the goblins at the bank. They might be willing to support him on this.

And then there could be provision of Wolfsbane for all werewolves, much like how Voldemort had done to keep the pack from causing problems.

"You really think you can make them implement this?" the woman demanded.

"I think the Order can be made to see reason," Lupin said. "In any event, the werewolves are attacking Death Eaters all over Britain. I personally oversaw the fall of Diagon Alley and Azkaban, with plenty of enemy dead. It's too late to stop the plan now."

He paused for a moment.

"Pick up your wands. You might not be needed right away, but I'm sure you'll be needed before the night is over."

The forces on the colony's roof, the first line of defense against any Death Eater counterattack, were specifically exempted from the mobilization order. However, if the Death Eaters were able to turn the tables, every little bit could help.

Lupin's would-be attackers slowly picked up their wands. Three of the four filed out. Only the door guard remained.

"If this fails, we'll kill you."

Lupin's retort was instantaneous.

"If it fails, I'll let you."


	59. War at Hogwarts

**War at Hogwarts**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the delay. I've been trying to catch up with "Revenge of the Fallen Reboot" (which had not been updated from November until last week) and working on my new blog. Those who want to read it should to go to www . accordingtoquinn . com or simply visit my profile page, where I've got the link. Parts of this chapter are adapted from "The Flaw in the Plan" from _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ by J.K. Rowling.

May 3rd, 1998 AD

2:45 AM

In the anteroom of the late Fenrir Greyback's office, Remus Lupin, now ruler of Britain's werewolves, received the latest reports via Patronus.

The werewolves had armed dozens of prisoners liberated from Azkaban. Although many of them had fled as soon as they could rather than fight alongside werewolves, others had gleefully allied with their liberators to kick some Death Eater arse.

Lupin smiled. Even the prejudiced ones who had refused to join the werewolves would serve his purpose. They would spread the word that the werewolves had switched sides and were destroying the Death Eaters, something that would hopefully generate good public-relations for the pack.

Unfortunately, the ten Snatcher units Greyback had sent out of the colony still had not reported in. Neither had Dora, whom Lupin had asked to relay word of his takeover and the werewolves' change of allegiances to Kingsley Shacklebolt and the Order.

_That probably means that the battle at Hogwarts is still going_, Lupin thought.

That could be a good thing or a bad thing. It was good in the sense it prevented a countercoup by those unhappy with the change in leadership — the roof guards still knew too much for Lupin's taste, although they seemed to agree that it was too late to back down now — but it meant the outcome was still in doubt. Even if the Death Eaters lost half their numbers subduing Hogwarts, they would be able to defeat the werewolves even if all of them sided with Lupin.

This meant that Hogwarts could not fall. If half of the werewolves were supporting the Death Eaters there, this gave the enemy an advantage. Lupin had held off on going to the battle site himself in order to ensure that the rest of the coup went as planned, but if he wanted to prevent an ultimate Death Eater victory — and ensure he had the troops he needed to take the Ministry itself, which still held out — he'd have to collect the other ten Snatcher squads.

He began composing a Patronus.

_I'm going to Hogwarts to retrieve the other Snatcher squads. Justin MacDonald is in charge in case I don't come back._

Lupin would have preferred to leave Gray or other members of his conspiracy in charge. Gray, however, was tainted by his more recent association with the Order of the Phoenix and the assault on the colony that killed so many pack members, while the remainder of the conspirators were lower-class members of the colony who preferred the sympathetic Lupin or Muggleborns inducted under Voldemort's rule.

The loss of Connor Lykos stung Lupin again. Not only had he lost a friend but he had also lost the only senior pack member who was part of his plot. MacDonald was a competent enough fellow, but he wasn't part of the conspiracy. If he learned that Lupin was behind Greyback's death, he could try to undo everything done so far.

_I want every force to send one or two of their best fighters to the colony. We may very well face the Dark Lord himself. Expecto Patronum!_

The blue-silver unicorn bounded out of the office. Lupin began composing another.

_Daniel, you're a clever and brutal one. Leave the Diagon Alley troops under the command of someone trustworthy and come to the colony. We're going to Hogwarts. Expecto Patronum!_

Lupin would have preferred to leave Gray behind, to keep the werewolves on the right side if he didn't come back, but Gray happened to be a powerful fighter and exceedingly clever and ruthless besides.

_One of the few virtues of the Slytherin._

Hogsmeade and Hogwarts itself had been left off the first wave of targets for Operation Full Moon, although Lupin could not fathom why. Perhaps Greyback thought the centers of government in Wizarding London would be better targets or that Hogsmeade would revolt against the Death Eaters on its own.

Lupin shook his head. It was time to deviate from the plan.

He Portkeyed out of the colony to the edge of the free-fire zone. Over a dozen werewolves waited for him there. Two more Apparated in as he arrived.

"All right," he began. "The ten Snatcher squads that haven't reported in are at Hogwarts, assisting the Dark Lord. We'll deprive him of their help."

"Where do we Apparate to?" one of the werewolves asked.

"The train station," Lupin said. "We'll find out where the rest of them are from there."

May 3rd, 1998 AD

2:55 AM

CRACK!

Remus Lupin materialized just outside Hogsmeade Station, followed by the other werewolves. The streets were deserted.

_It makes sense. They're either hiding in their homes or they've taken sides, one way or the other._

Lupin led the assembled along the road leading around the lake to the castle. In the distance, he could see flames flickering around the castle's base. The great walls were scarred and broken in many places. The great gate was broken open. No enemies gathered about the wall's base.

_This could be very good, or very bad. Either they've been repulsed, or they're all inside._

Something moved on the grounds outside the school and a rain of curses poured out of one of the towers. Lupin smiled. It looked like the enemy had been repulsed.

"Wands up, everybody. We don't know how well the road to the school will be defended."

Revealing Charms would sound out any ambushes in the trees by the lake, but they'd have to be close to use them. And if they used them, the Death Eaters would know it.

For a moment, Lupin pondered the use of Fiendfyre to burn out potential ambush sites laying along the road. Then he shook his head.

_If we deployed Fiendfyre and lost control, the whole Forbidden Forest could burn._

Lupin shook his head and continued walking, his compatriots close behind. They were drawing near a spot where the trees came close to the road when someone leaped out at them!

A wave of curses — some of them lethal — flew at a bedraggled looking man who had jumped out of the bushes. The Killing Curses all missed, but a Stunner caught the man in the chest and slammed him onto the road.

Lupin stepped forward and knelt by the unconscious man. He wasn't wearing Death Eater robes, but he wasn't a student or a teacher either. Closer inspection revealed cuts, bruises, and tears in his robe. A particularly large bruise glared from his cheek.

"Hold him," Lupin ordered two other werewolves. They pulled the unconscious man to his feet. Lupin waved his wave, reviving him.

The man shouted and tried to get away from his captors, but they held him fast. Lupin locked eyes with him.

"What's going on?" he demanded. "Who are you?"

"My name is Keith Patricks," he babbled. "I didn't mean to do what I did, they had me under Imperius, I…"

"Who had you under Imperius?" Lupin demanded.

"The Death Eaters!" he cried. "The Dark Lord! I'm an accountant, I'm from the wizarding section of Liverpool, I…"

"They all plead Imperius," one of the werewolves said. "Shall we toss him in the lake, minus his head?"

Lupin shook his head.

"We're going to relieve the defenders of Hogwarts castle. We're enemies of the Dark Lord. Tell us what happened."

The man sniffed for a moment.

"I was coming back from work when a man in black robes pulled me into an alley. I struggled for a tec, then just stopped caring. I didn't care when they fitted me with black robes and a mask and I didn't care when I joined the others in attacking Hogwarts!"

He paused.

"Then I was myself again, in the middle of the fight. We'd forced our way through the main gate, but the defenders had us contained. I tried to run, but one of the suits of armor hit me. I don't remember much about what happened after that until all the Death Eaters, the Dementors, and everybody started pulling back."

_Thank Merlin._

"When they were pulling out, I ran. But not before I heard the Dark Lord speak."

Lupin's heart leaped in his chest, while the other werewolves cheered. This meant the enemy had suffered a reversal, and probably taken casualties.

"And?"

"The Dark Lord, he gave 'em an hour," the man continued. "He was talking loud, using Sonorous. If Harry Potter doesn't turn himself over, he'll come out and fight himself."

Lupin's jaw clenched. The only wizard Voldemort ever feared was Dumbledore himself. Absent Dumbledore, the only way to defeat the Dark Lord was to bring him down with sheer weight of numbers, but that would cost many Order lives.

"Where are the other werewolves?"

"With them, I think. They've pulled back into the Forbidden Forest."

Lupin nodded to the werewolves holding the man. They released him.

"I've got a job for you," Lupin said. "I want you to go throughout Britain, telling everyone that the Dark Lord has been forced back from Hogwarts and that the werewolves have turned on him. If any werewolf tries to stop you, tell them that Remus Lupin is in command of the pack now and gives you leave."

The man nodded frantically, then headed down the road towards Hogsmeade Station.

"Wait," Lupin said. The man froze.

Lupin turned to face him.

"Did you see a witch with pink hair?"

The man nodded frantically.

"Aye," he said. "She was a right killer. Took out three Death Eaters, a giant, and two dozen Inferi. Then she took on Antonin Dolohov…"

Lupin's heart leaped in his chest. Dolohov was one of the most dangerous of the Death Eaters.

"And she beat him down. Not sure if she killed him or not."

Lupin smiled.

"Excellent. Now run along."

Once the man was on his way, Lupin turned to the others.

"All right," he said. "To the forest."

He turned and began jogging towards the Forbidden Forest, the other werewolves close behind. He hoped they could still affect the outcome.

May 3rd, 1998 AD

3:05 AM

They'd gotten fairly close to the edge of the forest close to the school when Lupin spotted Hagrid emerging from the forest.

_Hagrid? Has he gone over to them?_

Lupin would have thought it impossible, but there he was. Then he spotted tears pouring down the half-giant's face — that meant it wasn't likely he'd betrayed the school — and that he was carrying something. Something that looked like a corpse.

He stopped abruptly. The other werewolves stopped behind him, with much colliding and jostling. As Hagrid marched, the Dark Lord himself emerged from behind him, wearing a snake about his neck. The corpse's head lolled. The corpse was wearing spectacles and had a lightning-bolt shaped scar on its forehead.

_HARRY!_

Harry Potter, the prophesied savior of the wizarding world, was dead. This blow struck Lupin in the chest like the blow of an enormous hammer.

"Does this mean he's won?" one of the werewolves asked. "Before the coup, the government was claiming he was the chosen who'd defeat the Dark Lord. Are we doomed?"

Muttering broke out among the werewolves behind Lupin. He'd have to deal with this fast, or else his entire effort would fall apart.

Lupin shook his head.

"Dumbledore did not put much stock in Divination," he said, trying to reassure himself as much as he did the others. "The Prophecy only mattered because the Dark Lord believed it to be true, and acted accordingly."

"Aye," Gray agreed. "Divination's a load of rot. There's no fate but what we make."

None of the werewolves reacted. Lupin figured their knowledge of Muggle films was not up to snuff. And Dumbledore's and Gray's views were not popular among wizards, normal ones or werewolves.

"Furthermore," Lupin added. "The Prophecy could also be fulfilled by Neville Longbottom, who does not appear to be dead."

The muttering began to subside. Though grief gnawed at Lupin's heart, he knew he had to keep it under control. They still had a war to win.

However, before Lupin could give any orders, Voldemort started to speak. His voice was audible even to them.

"Harry Potter is dead," he began. "He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."

_You lying, snake-faced devil_, Lupin thought.

Voldemort then demanded the castle's surrender, promising mercy to those who remained in the castle. Lupin's heart lurched at the mention of the loss of half the defenders — though the Dark Lord was probably lying, any large-scale clash between the Order and the Death Eaters would likely produce many casualties.

There was no response.

Something moved at the edge of Lupin's vision. More Death Eaters emerged from the forest. A wave of black-clad figures came, accompanied by Dementors and other horrors.

Then the other werewolves emerged from the trees, forming a line between Voldemort and his praetorians and Hogsmeade itself. Others formed a rear-guard behind the Dark Lord.

Lupin smiled.

_They're not mixed in with the enemy host. If we can bring them over, the Dark Lord will be vulnerable on the flanks and rear._

Of course, this assumed another force would take advantage. Lupin could summon the remainder of the pack and crush the Dark Lord against the walls of the castle.

_First things first. We've got to get those ten squads on our side._

Lupin led the werewolves under his command towards the others. They raised their wands at Lupin's approach.

"Who goes there?" a harsh voice growled. "This is a war zone."

Lupin's heart sank. The voice belonged to Aurelian Archer, another werewolf who supported Voldemort as something more than a means to an end. Lupin had pondered scapegoating him too, but he hadn't seen him in the crowd at the colony.

"It's Remus Lupin," he said. "Commander of the werewolf pack in the aftermath of the assassination of Fenrir Greyback."

Archer, a big blond man with a broken nose, emerged from the werewolf ranks. He laughed at Lupin's words.

"We got the orders. Did you really expect us to believe them?"

"Actually, yes. The orders are from Fenrir Greyback himself, in the event of treachery on the part of the Death Eaters."

As he spoke, Lupin kept his eye on the river of evil flowing behind the werewolves. Death Eaters, giants, Dementors, all sorts of evil creatures headed for Hogwarts, to put down the defiance of the students and teachers there. None of them seemed to be paying attention to what was happening on their flank.

_Prejudiced bastards. This'll show them._

Archer snorted.

"How very convenient that it's you who's now in charge of the pack. You who was too good for the rest of us."

He smiled, revealing yellowed but sharp teeth.

"I think you had something to do with Greyback's death."

Lupin smiled as genially as he could.

"Can you prove it? Or would you much rather have us both waste werewolf lives in a fight here while our other kinsmen finish off the Death Eaters elsewhere in Britain?"

Muttering broke out among the werewolves behind Archer. He raised his right hand, silencing them.

"You've gotten the werewolves fighting Death Eaters elsewhere?" Archer said, face white.

"I would think you'd know that," Lupin said. "Everyone else got the same orders and has been rather busy these last few hours. You're the only ones who didn't obey them."

More muttering broke out among the werewolves behind Archer. Lupin continued his genial smile. He was pulling out all the psychological tricks from his bag and it looked like they were working.

And he'd managed to avoid the awkward subject of just _who_ had killed Fenrir Greyback while he was at it.

"Join the rest of the pack," Lupin said. "When the Dark Lord finds out just what has been going out in the rest of the country, he'll show no mercy to the werewolves. And you all will be his first targets."

Archer laughed.

"Not if we nip this treachery in the bud right now. You and yours will die, but we'll live on. The Dark Lord might put me in charge of the pack when you're gone, usurper."

He drew his wand and stepped forward confidently, as though he expected others to come with him. A couple others stepped forward, then melted back into the group when Lupin gave them hard looks.

Archer snarled with anger.

"Bunch of milksops, all of ya," he growled. "I'll handle this traitor myself."

A jet of green light flashed in Lupin's direction. Lupin waved with his wand, throwing a tornado of turf into the path of the curse. The resulting explosion covered everyone with dirt and grass, but the curse neither hit Lupin nor the werewolves behind him.

Archer didn't wait for Lupin's reprisal. He charged through the dissipating cloud of dirt, spewing fire from his wand. Lupin caught the fire on a Shield charm, although the heat quickly built up behind it.

_Sectumsempra!_

Lupin's curse cut across the back of one of Archer's legs. He went down on one knee, his hamstring apparently severed.

Lupin then struck him on the head with a Blasting Curse, shattering his skull.

"Archer disobeyed the authority of the lawful successor to Fenrir Greyback and has suffered the due penalty," Lupin said, immediately taking control of the situation. "Now we'll…"

With a thunder of hooves, the centaurs erupted out of the Forbidden Forest.

_What the devil?_

The wave of centaurs slammed into the werewolf rear-guard. The centaurs' hooves crushed many werewolves, while others fell pierced by four-foot arrows.

Lupin thought quickly.

_New orders. All werewolves at Hogwarts are to return to the colony. From there, we'll take stock and then head for the Ministry. Alone of all the targets in Operation Full Moon, it is holding out. Expecto Patronum!_

Lupin cast his Patronus. The unicorn bounded through the werewolves who followed Archer before literally exploding. Each shard became a new, smaller unicorn and rushed towards the individual werewolves who had survived the initial centaur attack.

Lupin waited until the first of the werewolves serving as the rear-guard began Disapparating before he turned his attention to the werewolves assembled around him.

"Back to the colony. The Ministry is still holding out and we'll need everyone we've got to take it."

The addition of the centaurs and the loss of the Death Eater rear-guard changed the strategic calculus considerably. Before, Lupin had worried that the Dark Lord would win. Now he was concerned that the Dark Lord might lose too quickly, before the werewolves secured all the objectives needed for a fair postwar settlement.

He reproached himself for that cold-blooded, rather Slytherin thought. A quick Order victory meant that more of his and Dora's friends inside the castle would survive. Hell, it made it more likely Dora herself would survive.

_That means we'll just have to move all the faster._


	60. Night of the Long Knives

**Night of the Long Knives**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

May 3rd, 1998 AD

3:15 AM

"All right," Remus Lupin said to the werewolves gathered in the free-fire zone outside the colony. He'd called every werewolf he could spare from the Snatcher squads and civilian auxiliaries occupying important sites all over wizarding Britain. The Ministry would be a tough nut to crack, especially since they wouldn't have the advantage of surprise this time.

_No battle plan survives contact with the enemy._

If only Bellatrix had attacked earlier, before Greyback had sent the Snatcher units out of the colony! Then he'd have had all the werewolves from the get-go.

He shook his head.

_If ifs and buts were candied nuts, the entire world would have sweets. Plus, if Archer were there with the ten Snatcher squads, we could have had a civil war._

"Of all the sites targeted in Operation Full Moon, only the Ministry itself is still holding out. The centaurs have thrown in with the Order of the Phoenix, which means the Dark Lord is likely to lose within a few hours at most."

His expression hardened.

"We're going to have to take the Ministry and do it quickly, before the Order comes in and takes it for us. That way, we'll have the best possible bargaining position."

"Why bother bargaining?" one werewolf called out. "If we control all these things and the Order's bloodied from fighting the Dark Lord, we could fight them and win!"

Lupin shook his head.

"I was part of a group that fought Kingsley Shacklebolt four on one just after the coup. We managed to drive him away, but he prevented us from succeeding in our assigned task. Fighting the Order will be no easy task, particularly if they bring huge numbers of civilians with wands along."

Grumbling rippled through the werewolf ranks. He knew he was deviating further and further from Greyback's ideology, which most of the werewolves held.

"We can, however, use the Order's unwillingness to take casualties and desire to protect wizarding society as a whole against them," Lupin said. "If they fight us for St. Mungo's, for Diagon Alley, _for_ _the Ministry itself_, they'll risk destroying them. It's in their best interest to agree to our demands."

The grumbling subsided. Lupin had managed to placate them — for now. It would be best to get their minds on something more useful.

"So here's what we're going to do. Those of us who can use Fiendfyre — that includes me — will take point. We'll use the fire to clean out the entrances as we force our way down."

He paused.

"Once inside, I want as many defenders Stunned as possible. Kill only the Death Eaters."

"What about Dolores Umbridge?" another werewolf called out. "She's not a Death Eater."

"We were promised we could have some fun with her," a third werewolf called.

However much Umbridge deserved to suffer for the evil she'd done, Lupin didn't like the sound of the third werewolf's suggestion.

"Leave the fat harridan to me," Lupin said. "Now, we're running out of time."

He raised his voice.

"To the Ministry!"

"To the Ministry!" the werewolves roared back.

Lupin smiled, then Disapparated.

May 3rd, 1998 AD

3:18 AM

Lupin and his reinforcements materialized among the werewolves who'd formed a cordon around the Ministry for Magic entryway. The werewolves and the defenders periodically traded curses, but the fight did not seem particularly intense.

He would aim to change that. He brought his left hand to his mouth and blew. Fire bloomed from his hand, pouring onto the ground before the doorway ostensibly to a public bathroom. The flames took the form of an enormous wolf as they slammed into the entryway. A few screams later, only the fires remained blocked way. Lupin dispelled the flames and led the werewolves toward the underground bathroom.

"We'll need coins to open the stall doors," Daniel Gray observed. "Unless we want to smash our way through. Have we got any?"

Lupin nodded. The mob of werewolves parted as two werewolves carrying the coins came forward. They inserted the coins and opened the stalls. He looked distastefully at the toilets. The fact the Dark Lord had made this the way for employees and officials to enter the Ministry was entirely undignified.

"Those of us who know Fiendfyre will go first," he repeated. "We'll clear the atrium for those coming down behind. Once the initial attack is made, kill only if it's absolutely necessary."

Gray, Taylor White, and other members of the conspirators whom Lupin had trained came forward.

"They're going to be waiting for us," Lupin said. "As soon as the Atrium comes into sight, unleash hell."

"Aye," Gray said, a hungry look in his eyes.

That made Lupin somewhat uncomfortable.

"Remember my orders about not killing unless necessary after the initial entrance," he said.

Gray nodded.

Lupin stood before one toilet, with Gray taking position at the other one. The others formed up behind them.

"The end has a beginning," Lupin said. Then he stepped into the toilet and flushed himself.

May 3rd, 1998 AD

3:21 AM

Lupin brought his hand to his mouth and blew as soon as the Ministry Atrium came into sight. A huge flaming lion leaped from his hand and charged roaring into the militia of Ministry employees standing in front of the fireplaces, before what used to be the Fountain of Magical Brethren.

Though some employees stood firm in the face of the flames, others fled screaming. A great flaming cobra emerged from another fireplace as Gray made his entrance. The serpent struck, consuming several Ministry employees who fired curses at the arriving werewolves.

Gray barely dodged one curse as he emerged from the fireplace. White wasn't so lucky. A Blasting Curse struck him in the head and put him on his back.

"Tend to him," Lupin ordered as more werewolves emerged. "We've got them on the run now."

Gray's snake went wild as the Slytherin werewolf turned his attention to his injured comrade. Lupin snapped his fingers and made it disappear before it could do more than consume two more Ministry employees.

_Stupefy multis!_

A wave of Stunning bolts erupted from Lupin's wand, flooring many fleeing Ministry employees. Other werewolves followed suit. Soon, only unconscious foes remained on the ground.

"Hopefully they don't have reserves," Lupin remarked as werewolves streamed through the fireplace. He gestured to the fallen Ministry employees. "Take them to the surface and revive them. Let them run. Let them spread word of what we've done here."

Some of the werewolves levitated Ministry employees and began directing them towards the fireplaces. Others pushed out of the atrium into the lifts that would take them to other parts of the Ministry.

Now that the atrium was under control, Lupin had the chance take in just what the Death Eater government had done to the Fountain of Magical Brethren.

A witch and a wizard sat on a lumpy throne, both of them richly garbed. Lupin narrowed his eyes as he realized the lumps were actually naked bodies and faces, all of them bearing stupid expressions.

_Muggles. They're sitting on a throne of Muggles._

At the base of the statue read the words "Magic is Might," the creed of Voldemort's government.

Lupin stepped back and raised his wand.

_I'll show them just how right they are. Confringo multis!_

The storm of white magical energies ripped the statue to pieces. Lupin gestured with his hand, keeping the debris from flying far, and then raised them high into the air with a gesture.

_No more of this._

He brought his hand down like a falling executioner's axe, shattering the pieces of the statute on the ground.

Two Patronuses — a chicken and a chipmunk — approached Lupin.

"They had reserves," the chicken said in the voice of the woman who'd lost her baby. "Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is proving a tough nut to crack. We've lost three, and four more are wounded. Fiendfyre?"

Lupin knew that many of the werewolves would like nothing more to see that department destroyed. Unfortunately, Lupin intended for Werewolf Support Services to survive.

_Use Aguamenti. Flood them out instead. Expecto Patronum!_

Lupin's unicorn bounded away. He turned to face the chipmunk.

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement threw back the first attack. We've lost four thus far, with eight wounded. I think all the DMLE men who survived our first attack fell back here. The place is crawling with them."

_I'll send reinforcements. Expecto Patronum._

Lupin turned to the last of the werewolves straggling in.

"DMLE is proving difficult," Lupin said. "All of you, head up there with me and reinforce it."

"Yes sir!" the werewolves chorused.

The group headed for the nearest lift.

May 3rd, 1998 AD

3:30 AM

Lupin and the reinforcements found the attacking werewolves in control of the lift lobby but little else. They hid behind barricades of office furnishings, chunks of cubicles, and Shield Charms as curses rained down on them from deeper in the DMLE office. Slowly, the Shields and physical barriers were eroding.

_This calls for drastic measures._

He caught a glimpse of DMLE officers in two cubicles. He weaved a pattern with his wand. The two dropped out of sight as the floor opened up beneath them. He continued weaving, inflicting the same fate on the foes in other cubicles.

"Take the cubicles," he ordered before rushing into one. The man was caught in floorboards holding him like the jaws of a crocodile, but his wand hand was free. A swift kick deprived him of his weapon before he could curse Lupin.

His arrival reversed the tide of battle. Several cubicles with immobilized DMLE men fell to the oncoming werewolves, giving them a quarter of the office. This cut the volume of enemy fire substantially and gave the werewolves the increased ability to hammer their foes.

Lupin decided to see if the enemy would be reasonable. He cast a charm to amplify his voice and spoke.

"This is Remus John Lupin, commander of Britain's werewolves. We control the main way out of this office and all the ways out of the Ministry itself. There's no way you can win."

He paused for a moment.

"I promise mercy to all who surrender. Those who continue fighting do so at the risk of their own lives. Those who surrender will be allowed to leave the Ministry unharmed. You have thirty seconds."

Several seconds passed before two men rose, their hands up. As they made their way forward, two more joined them.

"Let them go to the lift," Lupin said. He nodded to a trio of werewolves to the rear of the formation. "Follow them out."

"Yes sir," one of them said.

"You bleedin' cowards!" someone shouted from elsewhere in the office. "Giving up to bloody animals!"

"Shut up, Simmons," someone else said. "These bloody animals have got us trapped in here."

Two more DMLE officers — a man and a woman — raised their hands and advanced. As one of them came near, Lupin stepped forward.

"How many are back there?"

The man swallowed before speaking.

"Ten more."

Ten more wizards in defensive positions could make things more difficult for them. The whole situation depended on speed — Lupin wanted to be in full control of the Ministry when the Order arrived.

"Fifteen more seconds," Lupin said. "I've been trying to avoid taking lives, but we will kill if we have to."

He fired the Killing Curse into the ceiling of the far end of the office, cratering the wall.

"All right," the man who'd cursed the other DMLE personnel said. "All of us surrender."

All ten of the remaining enemies rose to their feet and filed towards the door. Lupin stopped the one named "Simmons," who seemed to be an important man.

"Where's Dolores Umbridge?" Lupin demanded. "She's a priority for us."

"The bitch is upstairs," the man spat. "Holding out in the Minister's office with some Death Eaters."

Lupin smiled grimly.

"I know where I'm needed, then."

May 3rd, 1998 AD

3:32 AM

The lift that would lead up to the offices where Umbridge and her allies hid opened up.

Lupin was not so foolish as to simply ride it to the top. They'd kill him as soon as the door opened.

Instead, he, Gray, and two other werewolves crowded into the lift. They had their wands out. When the elevator rose three-fourths of the way to the next floor, Lupin slammed down the emergency stop button.

The elevator froze. Gray raised his wand and blew the roof of the elevator car open. The debris rose upward, where a wave of curses from the offices' defenders leaped through the open door and smashed them.

"What I'd give for some nice, Muggle grenades about now," Gray said. "Or a good pipe bomb."

Lupin sighed. He knew Gray knew how to make Muggle military devices and combine them with magic. If only he'd thought of having him make some in the event they had to face situations like this.

"Let's improvise," Lupin said. He Transfigured some debris into a shoebox, filled it with Fiendfyre, and spelled it shut. Then he threw the box out the top of the elevator into the offices.

Something exploded and flames roared. Panicked screaming broke out soon afterward.

"Now, while they're distracted!" Lupin shouted. He generated some Cushioning Charms and jumped on them, bouncing him out of the elevator into the offices. The others followed.

The black smears that used to be two Death Eaters lay on the ground before Lupin. His gaze followed the trail of ashes five feet until it stopped abruptly.

"Looks like someone up here can put out Fiendfyre. That means they might be able to use it."

No sooner had Lupin spoken that a swarm of flaming rats poured out an office to the left. Lupin and Gray raised their hands, stopping the horde in its tracks. The floor began smoking as the rats remained in place.

Lupin gestured with his free hand, sending the smoke back into the office. The room began filling, but he doubted it would force the man out. Casting a Bubble-Head Charm was easy enough.

The smoke, however, impede the ability of the remaining enemies to see. Lupin gestured again, sending smoke into the Minister's office and other places. Soon, much of the office ahead of them was full of thick, black smoke.

"Get rid of those rats," Lupin said. "Then we take the offices."

Gray made the Fiendfyre disappear. Lupin then fired a series of Stunners and Blasting Curses into the office from where the Fiendfyre had come. Something slammed into the wall and then the ground.

_Levicorpus!_

A masked and robed Death Eater floated out of the office. Lupin stepped forward and tore the man's mask away.

"It's not Umbridge," he said. He looked toward the Minister's office. "She's probably in there."

"Another Fiendfyre bomb?" Gray asked. "Plenty of fat to fry the bitch in."

"I think there are less drastic ways of dealing with the situation," Lupin replied.

He leveled his wand.

_Stupefy multis!_

A wave of red light leaped from his wand into the darkness of the Minister's office. A series of explosions thundered from within, accompanied the sound of items shattering.

Then a blast of red light leaped out of the office. It caught Gray in the chest and forced him screaming to his knees.

_The Cruciatus Curse._

Lupin rushed forward into the smoke. A jet of green light flashed and Lupin narrowly dodge, the curse slicing open his robes near his hip. He could discern a humanoid shape in the blackness. Immediately, he seized it by the hair. He slammed her head into the wall and dragged Dolores Umbridge from the Minister's office.

Though his blow had disoriented her, she still had her wand. She stabbed at him, trying to curse him, but one of the other werewolves Disarmed her. Lupin threw her roughly to the ground.

"It's over, Umbridge," he said. "Most of the Ministry is under werewolf control, as are the government centers and other important sites all across Britain. The Dark Lord…"

Lupin's voice trailed off for a moment as an idea occurred to him. Nobody was watching the Taboo, more than likely.

"Voldemort is losing at Hogwarts. Everything you fought for is falling down."

Umbridge shook her head.

"You dare speak to me like that, you insolent beast! Even if the Dark Lord falls, the community has no use for you! They'll drag you out of here and…"

Lupin merely smiled. Umbridge's eyes widened in horror.

"That may be," he said. "But you won't live to see it."

"Wait," Umbridge said. "I know things. I can be of use…"

He shook his head.

"Begging does not become you, Dolores," he said. "Avada Kedavra."

Green light flashed. Umbridge died.

"That was too easy a death," one of the werewolves said. "We wanted to have some fun with her first."

Lupin ignored the man as he entered the Minister's office and dispelled the smoke. Then he sat down in the Minister's chair.

Gray applauded.

"Bravo," he said, voice slightly hoarse from being Cruciated. "First werewolf Minister for Magic. It's a milestone."

Lupin laughed darkly.

"Thank you."

He cast his Patronus once more, seeking the status of the rest of the Ministry. One by one, the responses flowed in. The few foes left were surrendering; the fewer who weren't were being dealt with. Only one werewolf had attempted to rape a Ministry employee, but had been Stupefied and bound before he could get far.

_This is better than I thought._

"Now what," Gray asked. "Do we just wait for the rest of the Order to come calling?"

"I'll send Dora a Patronus," he said. "She'll update us as to the progress of the battle at Hogwarts."

_Hopefully Harry, Padfoot, Prongs, Lily, Dumbledore, Marzly, and all the others are avenged by now._

He cast a Patronus meant for his wife. Then he cast a Patronus intended for werewolf commanders all over Britain.

_The Ministry has fallen. Fortify the sites you control. The Order will be coming soon._


	61. The Fall of the Dark Lord

**The Fall of the Dark Lord**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **This chapter is largely adapted from "The Flaw in the Plan" in _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_ by J.K. Rowling.

May 3rd, 1998 AD

5:15 AM

All around Nymphadora Tonks, one of the two remaining loyal Aurors, Hogwarts was at war.

The Death Eaters had forced their way into the castle, tearing the great entryway wide open. Though the centaurs and thestrals and other flying creatures had joined the battle, most of the Death Eaters were inside the castle and their rear-guard kept the outer enemy at bay.

So it was up to the faculty and students of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix, who had lost much of their strength earlier in the battle, to deal with the situation.

The wave of black-clad and skull-masked figures poured into the Great Hall, their numbers and momentum slamming into the defenders.

"Fall back!" Minerva McGonagall shrieked. She waved her wand and the remaining animated suits of armor moved forward into the teeth of the enemy, enabling the living defenders to fall back to the line of overturned tables and Shield Charms serving as a secondary line of defense.

That line of defense had not been tested in the first assault, when the Death Eaters had barely managed to penetrate the gateway. Now, it would face the ultimate trial — Lord Voldemort himself.

The Dark Lord moved amidst his disciples, his curses leaping out at those who got in his way. Around his neck, he wore the morbid ornament of his pet snake's decapitated corpse. Neville Longbottom had taken the creature's head with the Sword of Gryffindor just before the second wave of the battle began, or so Tonks had been told just before the enemy crashed through the gates.

She watched as McGonagall and Kingley Shacklebolt moved to engage the Dark Lord as he tore through the last armored suits. The resulting fight momentarily blocked the enemy advanced, until the Death Eaters spilled out from around their lord.

Tonks found herself facing three Death Eaters. The three of them circled her like sharks circling a wounded whale.

"Hello, pretty," one of them leered.

One of them struck with his wand. Tonks ducked and the Killing Curse sailed over her head. Her riposte — a Blasting Curse to the crotch — folded him like a chair and sent him headfirst into the ground.

The other two leaped forward, obviously intent on slamming her to the ground with their bodies. Tonks unleashed another blast of flame, setting both of them on fire. Droplets of hot metal stabbed her arm. She knew one of them had a melting mask. That one fled screaming, his face smelling disturbingly like sizzling bacon.

The other Death Eater waved his wand, banishing the flames.

"You'll have to do better than that," he laughed.

Tonks moved forward to engage him and something found its way between her feet. Tonks tripped. Though she tried to catch herself, she slammed bum-first into the stone floor of the castle.

_What a time to be clumsy_, she thought as she rolled sideways, barely avoiding a Killing Curse that turned the stone where she'd been to glass. As she rolled, she cast a Killing Curse of her own and the Death Eater went down.

Then a commotion erupted at the rear of the Great Hall. The last of the Death Eater rear-guard fell back before a wave of centaurs and new human combatants. At the head of the new arrivals marched Charlie Weasley and Horace Slughorn. A swarm of house elves had emerged from the kitchens, swarming the Death Eaters nearest them and attacking them with utensils. Kreacher, wearing the necklace Harry and Dumbledore had brought back the night the old man died, took the lead.

Tonks cheered as loudly as she could. This meant the end was near for the enemy.

Slughorn strode forward, tailed by what looked like two of the Slytherin students who'd left earlier. Slughorn joined the attack on the Dark Lord himself. Voldemort shrieked in rage as the three enemies harried him. No combatant, however, was able to score a hit on the other.

Then the Death Eater rear-guard shattered and spilled onto the battle taking place before the Order line of defense, tearing the duelists apart. A dozen new combats broke out in their place.

Tonks spotted a pair of Death Eaters advancing on Slughorn and unleashed a wave of flames from her wand. Her fire ignited both enemies' robes. They screamed, disappearing into the melee.

Something moved to her left and Tonks turned, only to come face to face with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Her wand snapped up, covering the evil pair.

"Please," Narcissa begged. "For the sake of your mother, my sister…"

"The sister you cast out," Tonks said, keeping her wand on her uncle. He was probably the more dangerous of the two.

"If you let us through," Lucius said. "We promise our full support to any reforms in regards to werewolves…"

"Why should I trust you?" Tonks interrupted.

"Because I helped Potter…" Narcissa began.

_What?_

Before Tonks had time to query further, something exploded to her right. She barely managed to keep her feet, but in the interim, the Malfoys bolted. Tonks momentarily considered taking a shot at their retreating backs, but decided not to. Whatever the Malfoys were up to, they weren't assisting either side.

Someone screamed nearby. Tonks whirled to see Bill Weasley slammed into the ground, a laughing Death Eater close behind. Fleur Delacour Weasley rushed to his aid, but was borne away by the shifting tides of battle.

"Lights out, wolf chow," the Death Eater growled. He began making the wand movements for the Killing Curse. Tonks moved to intervene, but she knew she wouldn't be quick enough…

Red light flashed. Blood erupted from the Death Eater's side. A terrible wound opened up from his hip to his armpit.

Ginny Weasley strode forward, the blood on her face matching the color of her hair. Blood pouring down his side, the Death Eater managed to turn and raise his wand. His injuries slowed his movements. Ginny hit him again, this time with a Blasting Curse to the chest. He went down. He didn't get up.

"Good job, Ginny!" Tonks shouted, flashing her a thumbs-up.

Ginny grinned.

"Thanks!" she called out.

Then a terrible shadow fell over her. Both of them turned.

"Hello, Ginevra," Voldemort said as he loomed over the youngest Weasley. "It's been such a long time."

Ginny froze, like a deer caught in the headlights. The Dark Lord locked his narrow red eyes on her wide brown ones, keeping her frozen in place as he advanced. A student Tonks didn't recognize cast a curse at Voldemort, who casually deflected it back into its caster and sent him sprawling.

"You mind is like an open book to me," he continued. "You once told me your deepest thoughts, your most intimate fears." His gaze bored down on Ginny. "But now, I don't need you to tell me things anymore. I can just take what I want."

He laughed.

"I can see how you mourn for Potter and fear for your favorite brother," he said. "It's so delicious, your pain."

Ginny's wand hand trembled. Tonks suspected this time it was anger, not fear.

Voldemort grinned.

"Is little Ginevra angry?"

Ginny screamed and slashed with her wand. Voldemort deflected the attack.

"I think she is," the Dark Lord continued, deflecting another attack as he slowly advanced on her. Ginny hurled attacks at him, which the Dark Lord blocked or neatly avoided.

_All right. Enough is enough. Avada Kedavra!_

Tonks loosed a jet of green light straight at the Dark Lord. He threw himself to the side with a snarl.

"Now, now, Nymphadora. Wait your turn."

He lashed out with a storm of curses. Tonks leaped out of the way. The cavalcade of spells ripped the floor to pieces where she'd been. Tonks hurled another curse as she slammed onto the ground on her side, but Voldemort deflected that as well. He kept most of his attention on Ginny.

"The historians will tell of how Ginny Weasley begged for death," Voldemort said. "And I, being a most merciful lord…"

Suddenly, Molly Weasley erupted shrieking from the crowd, hurling curses at the Dark Lord. He deflected all of them, sending them smashing into the walls and ceiling in all directions.

Voldemort laughed.

"Oh, this is touching," he said.

His riposte knocked her flat on her back. Luckily, the Dark Lord had not used the Killing Curse.

Voldemort turned back to Ginny, deflecting another curse. He gestured and like her mother, she ended up sprawled on the floor.

"We had such fun in the Chamber of Secrets," Voldemort said, advancing on Ginny. "It's a pity this had to end so early." He raised his wand…

"PROTEGO!" a voice roared. A Shield Charm materialized between Voldemort and Ginny. The Dark Lord's red eyes widened. Suddenly Harry Potter, not dead like he'd been not that long before, stood in the midst of the Great Hall.

Harry's sudden appearance staggered Tonks. He was dead! All witches and wizards knew there was no magical way back from that! Was this some kind of trick by Narcissa Malfoy?

"Harry!" someone shouted.

"He's alive!" shouted someone else.

But those cries died down as the two mortal enemies faced each other. Silence reigned for a long moment. Tonks took the opportunity to scramble to her feet.

"I don't want anyone to help," Harry called out, voice loud in the quiet. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."

Voldemort hissed.

"Potter doesn't mean that," he said, red eyes wide. "That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?"

"Nobody," Harry replied. "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good."

Horcruxes? The notion filled Tonks with horror. She and Moody had discussed how Voldemort had clung to life even after his body was destroyed at Godric's Hollow. One of the possibilities was that he'd made a Horcrux, but to make more than one? No wizard, no matter how monstrous, had done that.

Harry and Voldemort circled each other, words snapping back and forth between them like the stings of a scorpion. Harry taunted the Dark Lord, calling him by his birth name. The Dark Lord shrieked in rage but did not attack, even then. The circle continued, neither of them attacking each other with anything but words.

"Severus Snape wasn't yours," Harry said. "Snape was Dumbledore's."

Tonks' eyes widened. That could not be possible. Snape had killed Dumbledore, as the old man begged him for mercy. Snape had killed the man who saved him from Azkaban, an act of foul ingratitude only a Death Eater would be capable of.

The next revelation was also bizarre, but in a different way. Snape loved Lily? Harry's mother?

She'd doubted the old monster was even capable of love. He'd typically been alone, the black-clad sadistic old vulture. The rare times she'd seen him with anyone outside the Order, it was either with Dumbledore, the man he murdered, or with the Malfoys, whose favor could mean wealth.

Of course, there was the old tension between how she was raised to believe no man was irredeemable and the horrors she'd seen as an Auror, even before the Second War began.

The tension rose further as Harry described how Dumbledore had intended for Snape to kill him, so that the power of the Elder Wand would die with him. Only things hadn't worked out according to plan, and Draco Malfoy was the master of the Elder Wand. Voldemort promised to deal with him when Harry was dead. Then Harry claimed to be the master of the wand himself!

Before either could speak again, the sun shone overhead. The light struck both of their faces at the same time. Both Harry and Voldemort shrieked their signature spells. Golden flames erupted on the floor between them as their spells collided in midair, the jet of green light striking the red.

The Elder Wand leaped into the air, spinning like a compass. It landed in Harry's hand as the Dark Lord crashed to the ground, dead.

Silence reigned for but a single second. Then everyone in the room cheered as they realized the Dark Lord was dead. Tonks thrust her fist into the air and screamed along with the rest of them as Ron and Hermione, Harry's two loyal friends, rushed forward and hugged him. Dozens of others surged forward.

For a long moment, it seemed everyone in the hall was piled around the Boy Who Lived.

Tonks rushed forward to join them.

Suddenly, a blue-silver unicorn stood between her and the crowd.

"Dora, it's Remus. The Ministry is secured. All the major sites outside of Hogsmeade and Hogwarts itself are under werewolf control. Operation Full Moon is over."

_Thank Merlin, Mary, and Jesus_.

She'd worried her husband would die in the coup, so close to accomplishing his plan. Now it was just a matter of working things out with the Order.

She looked up to see the crowds drawing back. They left Harry alone with Kingsley Shacklebolt.

The cheers changed. Instead of cheering Harry, they now cheered him.

"MIN-IS-TER! MIN-IS-TER!"

That, Tonks figured, would have been the likely outcome of an Order victory. He was the seniormost Auror, with the rest of the Ministry dead or under enemy control. He would have to be duly confirmed, of course, but there were no other candidates with the proper degree of age or seniority.

Shacklebolt raised his hand for silence.

"The war is almost over," he said. "There may be one last battle to fight."

Tonks realized what Shacklebolt was saying. He was referring to the werewolves who were now occupying the important sites of wizarding Britain, displacing the Death Eaters and claiming a share of the victory for themselves!

"No," she called out. "No, there isn't one last battle to fight. The werewolves are on our side now, they…"

"Kill the beasts!" someone interrupted. "We won't miss them."

One of the centaurs coughed angrily at this abuse of other magical creatures.

Shacklebolt raised his hand once more.

"Dora, if Remus is loyal as you say, then they'll turn over the halls of government like loyal citizens. They'll get the respect they deserve, don't you worry."

Shacklebolt turned and walked towards the doors of the Great Hall. Other Order members formed up behind him, a column of bloodied witches and wizards who had one last battle to fight.

Though Shacklebolt was optimistic, Tonks didn't think the end of things would go that easily. She hurried off after them.


	62. Standoff

**Standoff**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **There's some behind-the-scenes material on this story on my blog, www accordingtoquinn . com.

May 3rd, 1998 AD

5:45 AM

Remus Lupin reviewed the defenses the werewolves had set up in the Ministry Atrium. If the Order of the Phoenix sought to seize the Ministry for Magic, they'd have to enter the same way the werewolves had.

He'd learned from the defeat of the Ministry employees earlier that morning. Though in theory anyone waiting at the bottom could slaughter an oncoming enemy, the werewolves' collision with the Ministry militia showed that the theory did not always work in practice. Though Lupin believed the werewolves were better trained and more disciplined than the Ministry employees, the Order of the Phoenix was likely superior.

"We need to hold the Ministry against the Order," Lupin ordered the defenders, who sheltered behind an enormous barricade topped with Shield Charms. "This way, we can extort the best terms from them possible."

He paused for a moment.

"However, the more deaths or permanent injuries we inflict on the Order, the less willing they will be to deal with us. I want you all to be even more careful with the Order than you were with the Ministry employees. Do not fire unless fired upon, and keep your defense non-lethal. 'Stupefy multis' will neutralize any attackers without inflicting any permanent harm, most likely."

He did not like the look he saw in some of the eyes of the werewolves. Lupin had brought them the victory Greyback promised, a victory the evil werewolf had told them would be accompanied with complete freedom to do as they wished. He'd hoped the respect they now held him in as conqueror of the Death Eaters and the Ministry itself could restrain them, but now he wondered.

_All right_, he told himself. _I'll have to stay here to keep an eye on them._

He'd hoped to receive the Order of the Phoenix on the surface, but it would be relatively easy to incapacitate him and then descend into the Ministry for the final clash. He'd need to stay down here with his troops to ensure the werewolves got a fair hearing.

"When do you think they'll come?" one of the werewolves asked.

"Dora replied to my Patronus around forty minutes ago. She said Harry Potter is still alive and defeated the Dark Lord. The Order is on its way here, in force."

As he spoke the words, he marveled at just what he said. He'd seen Harry dead, in the hands of the darkest wizard in a century. Yet somehow he'd revealed himself in time to save Ginny Weasley from the Dark Lord, then trick him into attacking using a wand that would not obey him.

_Good job, Harry._

"I'm surprised they haven't gotten here sooner," Lupin continued. "Still, we shouldn't let our guard down."

The sound of toilets flushing echoed across the atrium.

_Speak of the devil._

"They're coming," someone said within the werewolf ranks. Dozens of wands rose, pointed at the fireplaces.

Part of Lupin wanted to retreat behind the enormous barricade they'd constructed. Though Dora had told him the Order no longer sought his blood, accidents could happen, particularly "deliberate" accidents on the part of Order members who opposed Shacklebolt's decision. He might also get caught in the crossfire between the Order and the werewolves if the fighting broke out immediately.

He shook his head. His presence in the middle of the killing ground might be the only thing capable of preventing a firefight from breaking out.

"Daniel," Lupin called out. "Come out here."

The presence of Daniel Gray, Order assassin, Muggleborn, and apparent prisoner of the werewolves, beside Lupin might be enough to stay any itchy Order trigger fingers.

Gray emerged from behind the barricade. He moved slowly.

_Given the choice, Slytherins will save their own skin. No surprise there._

Gray stood beside Lupin. Lupin touched the wand to his throat, casting a charm to amplify his voice. He had an idea that he thought might work.

Then the first wave of Order members burst from the fireplaces, shimmering Shield Charms up and wands out.

"Stop!" Lupin thundered in his amplified voice, directing his command at both the Order members and any werewolves who had any thoughts about firing.

Neither side moved. Neither side fired. For a long moment, the two sides stared at each other.

Then Kingsley Shacklebolt emerged from the Order fighters.

"Lupin," he began.

_Not using my first name? Hardly a friendly gesture. _

Of course, that was hardly surprising. The last time they'd seen each other in person, they were fighting over the diary of Gellert Grindelwald. In the meantime, Shacklebolt had allowed Gray to repeatedly try to kill him.

"In the name of the Wizengamot and the Order of the Phoenix, I order you to surrender this complex and other sites under your control to the legal government of wizarding Britain."

Lupin locked eyes with Shacklebolt.

"No," he said, toning down the amplification on his voice. "Not until our demands are met."

Silence hung on the air for a long moment.

"And what might these demands be?"

"I think we ought to discuss these privately. In the meantime, I would like the Order to evacuate to the surface and await the outcome of our discussion."

Someone laughed from within the Order ranks.

"How stupid do you think we are, Lupin? You think we'd leave the Minister for Magic alone down here with your kind?"

Lupin's eyes widened. They'd made Shacklebolt the Minister for Magic?

He repressed the urge to shrug. Lupin had figured if the Order had won the war after Voldemort had swept the preexisting government away, the Auror would be a top contender for the position.

Shacklebolt coughed, silencing the man.

"He has a point. It would be foolish in the extreme for me to stay here alone. Even if you can be trusted, others might not."

"I could say much the same thing about the Order," Lupin replied. "I recall several attempts made against my life, as well as significant casualties to werewolf civilians during the assault on our colony…"

Shacklebolt's jaw set.

"War is hell, Lupin. You should know that."

Lupin remembered Jack, cut down by Fred Weasley. For a moment, he wanted to strike the Auror across the face.

Then he remembered this same Auror had served as Lupin's best man in happier times, had fought besides him against the Death Eaters in two wars.

"Kingsley," Nymphadora Tonks said, emerging from the Order ranks. "Remus won't allow any harm to come to you."

"I do not," Shacklebolt paused for a moment, "doubt his sincerity." His eyes swept over the assembled werewolves. "What I doubt is his capability."

Growls echoed from the werewolves. They took Shacklebolt's comment as an insult.

_Shacklebolt always knew what you were, but he never hated you for it. He probably didn't mean to insult the werewolves._

Or did he?

Someone stepped out of the Order ranks, face obscured by a shimmering Shield. Someone else, this one with long red hair, followed behind him.

_If that's Ginny Weasley, then that's Harry!_

"Professor Lupin," Harry Potter said, lowering his Shield. "Mr. Shacklebolt. There's been enough pain these last few hours."

"Agreed," both Shacklebolt and Lupin said at the same time. Their gazes snapped back at each other.

_Great minds think alike, I suppose._

"It might be for the best," Harry continued. "If some of us stayed here, while some of them" — he nodded towards the werewolves — "stayed here too."

"A fair compromise," Lupin said. "I propose we go to the Minister's office and discuss the matter."

"Agreed," Shacklebolt said.


	63. Ending the War

**Ending the War**

By Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

May 3rd, 1998 AD

6:10 AM

"The Minister's chair, Remus?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked. "Really?"

Remus Lupin shrugged. "It's a very comfortable chair."

His humility rebelled against sitting in the most important chair in wizarding Britain, a chair that did not belong to him. However, he wanted to impress upon the Order members the strength of his bargaining position. All the better to wring concessions from them.

Shacklebolt said in another comfortable chair directly in front of Lupin. Behind him stood Bill and Fleur Delacour Weasley, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom. Tonks had disengaged from them earlier to stand to Lupin's right, while Daniel Gray stood to Lupin's left. Cedric Rawlings and Justin MacDonald, who was a tall skinny werewolf with a hawk's nose and jet-black hair, stood with him as well.

"Now," Lupin said. "I assume we begin to bargain?"

Shacklebolt nodded.

"Very well," Lupin said. He leaned forward, trying to force himself to be intimidating. "Here are my terms."

He ticked off his terms on his fingers as he spoke.

"Firstly, we want the abolition of _all_ anti-werewolf legislation, starting with the new rules imposed by the late Dolores Umbridge soon after Voldemort's return," he began. "That includes restrictions on employment and the ban of werewolf students from attending Hogwarts."

Shacklebolt nodded.

"I can agree to that."

Lupin smiled.

"Secondly, we want the Ministry to continue Voldemort's policy of providing Wolfsbane Potion to all werewolves."

The fact Lupin had suggested continuing a policy instituted by the Dark Lord drew some gasps from the Order members, but he continued.

"This should reduce the danger we sometimes pose to our fellow witches and wizards, and there can be stringent penalties for not taking it."

Shacklebolt considered that provision for a moment.

"Agree on principle, but there will be concerns about cost. We'll be returning confiscated Muggleborn and 'blood traitor' assets as soon as we can patch things up with the goblins, so the Ministry is going to be somewhat poorer in the short term."

"It would be easier to keep the program running then stopping it and starting it again," Lupin replied. "And in the meantime, there might be incidents."

"Fine," Shacklebolt said. "Next."

"Thirdly, we want the Ministry to make efforts to ease anti-werewolf social attitudes. I think a ban on any form of discrimination based on Magical Creature status in housing and employment would be a good beginning, as well as an educational program."

Although Umbridge had passed laws soon after Voldemort's resurrection, the laws only put onto paper attitudes already common in the wizarding community. It wasn't the laws that had made him unemployable before. He didn't want to infringe unduly on other people's right to manage their property and associations as they saw fit, but he didn't think werewolf lives, health, and prosperity ought to be sacrificed to _laissez faire_.

_The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, after all._

"I agree about the educational program," Tonks added. "People, even Healers, seem to have inaccurate ideas about how lycanthropy is transmitted, and that fuels prejudice."

She paused for a moment.

"And a ban on denying medical treatment to werewolves and their kin would be appropriate as well."

Shacklebolt visibly flinched at the reminder of Tonks' ordeal in the early hours of the coup. So did the female members of the Order delegation, who Lupin assumed knew what had happened.

"Good ideas, Dora," Lupin added.

"Our son's death might be worth something if it helps people learn how evil anti-werewolf prejudice is."

"All right," Shacklebolt nodded quickly. "We can agree with that."

"Thank you," Lupin said.

He paused for a moment.

"Fourthly, immunity for myself, Ted, Andromeda, and Nymphadora Tonks, and all werewolves for crimes committed during the Thicknesse government and the reign of Fenrir Greyback."

Considering it was Greyback who organized the disparate packs of wizarding Britain into a powerful force over 30 years before, this meant virtually all criminal behavior by the werewolves would be forgiven. Lupin suspected that one would be hard to swallow.

Shacklebolt leaned forward.

"Clever move, Remus," he said, narrowing his eyes. "We hadn't forgotten about those two Healers."

The memory of the second Healer begging for her life flashed before Lupin's eyes. He shook his head.

"Neither have I, Kingsley, neither have I. I doubt I ever will."

"You do recall, however, that the werewolves provided the bulk of Voldemort's Snatcher militia. This is not going to be popular with the Wizengamot, which, I might add, will be the ones ultimately ratifying the deal."

"Having to fight my werewolves for control of the country's most important landmarks won't be popular with the Wizengamot either," Lupin replied. "I am not going to sell out my fellows."

_That would be dreadfully un-Gryffindorish of me._

Shacklebolt stiffened. Lupin momentarily felt bad for the threat, then forced his guilt away.

"You do have emergency powers, given the situation. You could ratify the deal by decree and then the Wizengamot would have to vote to overturn it. That would take effort on their part, and there's so much else to do."

Shacklebolt did not seem happy with the idea of ruling by decree, even with good intentions. Lupin could sympathize. Something told him that the wizarding public was going to be far less tolerant of over-mighty Ministers for a long time to come.

Having applied the stick, Lupin decided to dangle a carrot before his old friend.

"You know, we could always institute some kind of 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission' where everyone gives a full account of what they did during the war and why. This pound of flesh might satisfy the Wizengamot."

He paused for a moment.

"Besides, the colony has ample assets. We could pay compensation if need be."

MacDonald twitched at the mention of parting with the colony's assets.

"Lupin," he said. "It would be prudent to maintain our funds, our facilities. This deal of yours…"

Lupin silenced him with a look.

"Don't worry, Justin," he said. "I fully intend to maintain the colony."

After all, it would take a long time before werewolves could find communities that would accept them. The law could always force property owners to rent or sell to werewolves and employers to pretend they didn't know why someone was tired and sick after full moons, but the law would not force people to like it.

And, Lupin admitted to himself, the prejudice ran both ways. Many werewolves would not _want_ to live among normal wizards, even if the normal wizards treated them as kindly as the Order had always treated him.

Then an idea occurred to him. If werewolf students began attending Hogwarts in large numbers, they'd need someone to look after them, someone who understood them.

"You know," Lupin said. "I do have one more condition."

"And what might that be?"

"I've only rarely had regular employment," Lupin said. "But there was one year where I had regular money, regular food, and the company of some of the finest minds in our world."

He smiled.

"I would like to be Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts again."

"Hold it," Shacklebolt said. "Hold it right there. You're a known Snatcher and an associate of Death Eaters. No parent…"

"I recall a certain Potions professor had an even more questionable background than I did," Lupin replied. "He wasn't Dumbledore's only man in the enemy camp."

"Sir," Harry added. "He was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we ever had."

"Yeah," Neville added. "Probably one of the best teachers we've ever had, in any subject."

"And now that You-Know-Who is gone for good, perhaps the jinx on the position is gone too," Ginny added.

"Thank you, all of you," Lupin said. "That means a lot to me."

Shacklebolt scowled.

"Very well," he said. "The board of governors is going to give me hell for this."

Lupin looked at his companions.

"Have I forgotten anything?"

Tonks and Lupin's co-conspirators shook their heads. MacDonald pondered for a moment before shaking his head as well.

"Good," Lupin said.

Then he looked at Shacklebolt.

"Do we have a deal, then?"

Shacklebolt thought for a long moment. Lupin hoped he wasn't going to reject his terms. They were entirely reasonable, after all.

"We have a deal," Kingsley said.

Lupin smiled.

"Capital. The werewolf army will evacuate the Ministry for Magic as soon as you make the executive decree and enter it into the laws of wizarding Britain."

His grin widened slightly.

"After all," he said. "It would not do to make it seem like the new Wizenagmot is meeting under the wands of an army of werewolves."

He paused for effect.

"We will evacuate the rest of the occupied sites as soon as the Wizengamot confirms you as Minister and endorses the terms of our deal."

Shacklebolt chuckled grimly.

"Leaving nothing to chance, I see."

Lupin shook his head.

"Nope."

He rose from the Minister's chair.

"Now, let's get this done with. The sooner the political situation is dealt with, the sooner we can all celebrate the fall of the Dark Lord."

"The permanent one," Harry added.

He extended his hand to Shacklebolt. Slowly, Shacklebolt extended his.

They shook hands.


	64. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

by Matthew W. Quinn and Kyli Ann Rasco

**Author's Note: **This will be my last Harry Potter fan-fiction project and my next-to-last fan-fiction project, period. When I am finished with my Transformers story "The Revenge of the Fallen Reboot," I will dedicate all efforts to my original fiction. Those interested in keeping up with me can follow me on my blog www . accordingtoquinn . com.

September 1st, 1998 AD

8:20 AM

Remus Lupin, professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, sat at the desk that once belonged to him and had since passed through the hands of Barty Crouch Jr, Dolores Umbridge, and Severus Snape before returning to him once more. He went over his first lesson plan for the class.

_Got to make this a very good one. Everyone's eyes are going to be on me._

The Hogwarts board of governors had complained mightily about a known werewolf teaching at Hogwarts, but the Wizengamot had honored the terms of the deal he'd made with Shacklebolt. Hopefully the governors would have settled down by the time they did their customary review of a first year of teaching.

He smiled as he looked over at the class roster for the NEWT-level class. He'd have Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood, and Hermione Granger to testify to his effectiveness as a teacher. Given what they did during the war, he expected them to do very well on their exams and that would reflect well on him. It would have been even better if Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had returned as well, but they had thought lending their talents to the rebuilding of the Ministry was a higher priority than finishing their seventh year.

That reminded him that he'd have new werewolf students, scattered across all years. And that would be just the beginning. Most of the werewolf children weren't advanced enough to attend the classes with students their own age. They would undergo intensive remedial education, with birth parents who had reclaimed them if there were any interested in doing so and at the colony if not. Hopefully they would reach the appropriate academic level by the next school year.

_Fifteen werewolf students this year. Possibly double that next year._

Housing all of them during the full moons would be difficult, even with the Wolfsbane. In the interest of safety, Lupin arranged for a new dungeon to be built over the summer, at considerable expense to the werewolf colony's budget. It was close to the Slytherin dormitories and all werewolves, including himself, would retreat there during the full moons.

_The Shrieking Shack is too small for all of us. And it belongs to someone else now._

It had been transformed into a memorial to Severus Snape, Dumbledore's spy among the Death Eaters. The building had been repaired and surrounded by red lilies. Despite his old rivalry with the former professor, Lupin found it rather touching.

In any event, if the werewolves were regularly provided with Wolfsbane and stayed out of the moonlight, it was possible they might not transform at all. After all, the night he and Padfoot had cornered Pettigrew, he did not transform until the moonlight touched his skin.

This would be easier on the students' bodies and minds. It would also have interesting ramifications for pregnant werewolves, if Wolfsbane wasn't toxic to children _in utero_.

He made a note to look into that later.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

The door burst open and his wife Nymphadora Tonks bounded in. It would have to be something important — even months after the Dark Lord fell, the Aurors were still busy.

"Hallo, Remus," she said enthusiastically, rushing around the desk and throwing her arms around him before he could even rise from the chair. "I've got a surprise for you."

Lupin smiled.

"That's capital. Do tell."

She laughed.

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise!"

"I suppose I'll have to guess."

She nodded, her grin widening. He looked up at her.

"Well, have you decided on a new hair color?"

Tonks changed the color of her hair from its usual pink to teal, purple, blond, and black before settling back. She shook her head.

"Nope."

Lupin stroked his chin.

"Perhaps you've cooked a steak without burning it this time?"

Tonks laughed.

"Remus, I'm not that bad a cook!"

"Okay, then. It can't be that you've broken something valuable, because…"

She smacked him on the shoulder.

"I'm not that clumsy!"

Lupin smiled.

"Really?"

A surreptitious gesture made the floor slippery. Tonks' feet scrabbled for purchase, but she managed to hang onto him and the chair.

"Really."

Lupin shrugged.

"All right," he said. "What's the surprise?"

Tonks grinned.

"We're going to have a baby."

For a moment, the old fear flared, and then it was gone. Joy took its place, a joy more profound then any he'd felt before. He felt like bursting out with laughter.

"Really? Dora, that's excellent. When do you think?"

"May, probably. Just before the end of the school year."

"Do you know what it might be?"

"Well, based on the test, I'm pretty sure it's a boy. Got any ideas for names?"

"Well," Lupin began. "Your dad might appreciate a grandson named Ted."

Tonks laughed.

"He would."

Lupin paused for a moment.

"But what about Connor?"

The loss of his friend Connor Lykos still pained him. Lycos had been the first to join the plot against Greyback and had seen the evil werewolf die. Unfortunately, he hadn't lived to see his plan reach fruition.

Tonks nodded.

"Connor," she repeated. "I think that'd be a good name."


End file.
